HOME DEPARTMENT

Advertising

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints her Department received about its pilot advertising scheme using the phrase ‘go home or face arrest'.

Mark Harper: holding answer 9 September 2013
	The pilot has elicited interest from many members of the public. It is being evaluated at present, which includes any complaints received.

Advertising

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in which areas her Department's pilot advertising scheme using the phrase ‘go home or face arrest' ran; and for what period of time that scheme ran in each area.

Mark Harper: holding answer 9 September 2013
	The pilot included the use of two ‘AdVans' in the chosen boroughs of Ealing, Hounslow, Brent, Barnet, Redbridge and Barking and Dagenham between 22 July and 28 July. The AdVans spent approximately two full days in each of the boroughs during that week.

Advertising

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total cost was of her Department’s pilot advertising scheme using the phrase ‘go home or face arrest’.

Mark Harper: holding answer 9 September 2013
	The total cost of the entire pilot was just under £10,000. This amount includes the cost of the advertising vans, communication materials, including translation fees, the text message service, adverts in newspapers and shop windows, posters and leaflets. The total cost for the billboard element of the pilot was £4,734.
	Even one immigration offender voluntarily departing from the United Kingdom as a result of this pilot would pay for the cost of the pilot in comparison to the same individual being subject to an enforced removal which can cost the taxpayer up to approximately £15,000.

Advertising

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many immigration enforcement staff were involved in her Department's pilot advertising scheme using the phrase, ‘go home or face arrest'.

Mark Harper: holding answer 10 September 2013
	Two full-time equivalent staff were involved in processing the referrals for the pilot scheme to encourage illegal immigrants to leave the UK voluntarily. Other staff were involved on a less regular basis and are better described as conducting business as usual work, such as interviewing individuals, processing travel documents and arranging flight tickets.

Advertising

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people who contacted her Department as a result of the pilot advertising scheme using the phrase, ‘go home or face arrest', were (a) identified as illegal immigrants, (b) deported and (c) left the country voluntarily.

Mark Harper: holding answer 10 September 2013
	The pilot has elicited a great deal of interest. It is being evaluated at present, including the number of individuals who contacted the Home Office and departed the UK.

Advertising

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people texted her Department during its pilot advertising scheme using the phrase, ‘go home or face arrest'; and what the nationalities were of those who texted.

Mark Harper: holding answer 10 September 2013
	The pilot has elicited a great deal of interest. It is being evaluated at present, including the number of individuals who contacted the Home Office, the number that departed the UK and their nationalities.

Advertising

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many vans were used by her Department for its pilot advertising scheme using the phrase, ‘go home or face arrest'.

Mark Harper: holding answer 10 September 2013
	Two AdVans were used for this pilot for seven days only.

Advertising

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to roll out her Department's advertising scheme using the phrase, ‘go home or face arrest'.

Mark Harper: holding answer 10 September 2013
	The Home Office will evaluate fully the results of this pilot and the Government will make a decision on whether it is to be extended in any form.

Advertising

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of her Department’s ‘Go Home’ van campaign; and what plans her Department has to use the vans in future;
	(2)  whether her Department plans to bring its ‘Go Home’ van campaign to Bradford.

Mark Harper: The AdVans referred to were used in six London boroughs from 22 to 28 July. The AdVans are part of a wider pilot to improve awareness and take-up of voluntary departures and the effectiveness of this pilot will be evaluated before any decisions on future deployment are taken.

Air Travel

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individual domestic air flights were undertaken within Great Britain by representatives of (a) her Department and (b) its associated public bodies in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what the cost to the public purse of each such flight was.

James Brokenshire: The total number of individual air flights undertaken within Great Britain by representatives of the Department and its associated public bodies between September 2012 and August 2013, and the total cost to the public purse is provided in the following table.
	
		
			 Department/associated public bodies Number of flights Total spend (£) 
			 Home Department including HMPO and UKBA 7,200 700,012 
			 College of Policing 571 56,636 
			 Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) 90 7,704 
			 Total 7,861 764,352 
			 Note: In March 2013, UKBA was merged back into the Home Department as UK Visas and Immigration and Immigration Enforcement. For the purposes of this report, the term UKBA is used.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the cost of policing the pilot badger culls to date;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the effect on police resources of policing the pilot badger culls.

Damian Green: We have made no specific assessment of the cost, or effect on police resources, of policing the pilot badger culls to date. However, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has agreed to cover any additional costs incurred by the relevant police forces.

Buildings

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what refurbishments to her Department's buildings have been carried out in the last 24 months; and at what cost.

James Brokenshire: Refurbishments, excluding works solely to increase capacity in Immigration Removal Centres, carried out in the last 24 months are set out in the table placed in the House Library. Consolidating the Home Office into fewer buildings is releasing savings of over £12 million per annum.

Buildings

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many square metres of office space her Department (a) owns and (b) rents in London; and what the value is of that property.

James Brokenshire: The Department rents 134,469 square metres in London boroughs, including Croydon. This includes the Department's HQ at 2 Marsham street, SW1, which is held via a lease as a public finance initiative asset on the Department's balance sheet at a book value of £187.3 million. All other properties are held as commercial leases.

Buildings

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the number of office relocations made by staff of (a) her Department and (b) her Department's non-departmental public bodies (i) within the original building and (ii) to other buildings in each year since 2009-10; what the cost of (A) removals and (B) refurbishments related to such moves has been; and on how many occasions offices refurbished by her Department in that period have been used by her Department's staff for less than four years before a further move.

James Brokenshire: Office relocations occur frequently both within original buildings and to other buildings both to enable cost savings through estate rationalisation and to meet continually changing operational needs. Their number and overall costs are not aggregated centrally and would incur disproportionate cost to obtain.

Carbon Emissions

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent by her Department on offsetting costs for energy-related carbon dioxide in the last year for which figures are available.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office spent £3,118 in 2012-13 under the Government's Carbon Offsetting Facility (GCOF II) on accredited offsets for air travel. The Home Office does not participate in any programme to offset energy related carbon emissions for buildings.

Consultants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much (a) she and (b) officials in her Department spent on external assistance to prepare for (i) appearances before Select Committees and (ii) contact with the media in (A) 2011-12 and (B) 2012-13; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The information is as follows:
	The former director general operational systems transformation (Rob Whiteman) attended an external media training course in September 2011; the cost of the course was £698.00. He also attended a National School of Government Course on select committee appearances in October 2011; the cost of the course was £1,995.00.
	The former Minister of State for Crime Prevention and Antisocial Behaviour Reduction (Lord Henley) attended a media training course in January 2012. The training was facilitated by a private individual consultant. The cost of this training was £843.60.
	The former Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Equalities and Criminal Information (Lynne Featherstone) attended a half day media and presentation training session in January 2012. This training course was paid for through the Central Civil Service Core Learning Programme fund; therefore the Home Office incurred no direct cost.
	The director general for UK Visas and Immigration (Sarah Rapson) attended a half day select committee training session run by the Civil Service Learning—Capita (external provider) in June 2013. The cost of the course was £670.73.

Correspondence

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department within what period of time Ministers of her Department should respond to correspondence from hon. Members.

James Brokenshire: Home Office Ministers aim to respond to hon. Members within 15 working days of initial receipt.

Firearms: Licensing

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether the Government's policy remains that there should be full recovery of the firearms license fee costs;
	(2)  what plans she has to recover the costs of administering firearms licensing;
	(3)  when changes to firearms licensing and the cost of licences will be introduced.

Damian Green: We remain firmly committed to ensuring taxpayers do not continue to bear the burden of subsidising the firearms licensing administration process. We are working with the police to improve the efficiency of the licensing process, in part by moving much of the licensing system online. Once these efficiencies are realised we will be in a position to move to full cost recovery. In the interim we are considering options on how to address the shortfall in part, and in a manner that is fair and proportionate.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimates her Department has made of potential additional costs to police forces and her Department arising from the construction of High Speed 2.

Damian Green: The Home Office has made no specific assessment of additional costs to police forces arising from the construction of High Speed 2.

Immigration

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she took to inform hon. Members in advance of her Department's recent immigration status checks in their constituencies.

Mark Harper: Immigration checks such as these have been standard practice since 2008, including under the last Labour Government.

Immigration: Stratford

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria were used by her Department when deciding who to stop when undertaking immigration status checks in Stratford.

Mark Harper: Immigration Officers did not perform any stops during the operation. British Transport Police colleagues would refer persons they stopped whom they suspected were subject to Immigration Control for Immigration-Officers to conduct checks.

Immigration: Stratford

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the cost effectiveness of her Department's recent immigration status checks in Stratford.

Mark Harper: The timing of the operation was between 0800 to 1000 hrs during which two arrests for immigration offences were made with limited impact on the department's resources.

Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 2 September 2013, Official Report, column 28W, on legal costs, if she will provide a breakdown of the sum of £16,584,000 spent on external legal advice by case and project.

James Brokenshire: The release of information requested would prejudice the Government's commercial interests.

Marriage: Fraud

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many foreign nationals were found to be engaging in fraudulent marriages in order to receive leave to remain in the UK in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) the first quarter of 2013;
	(2)  how many foreign nationals were deported under section 10(b) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 for engaging in a fraudulent marriage in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) the first quarter of 2013.

Mark Harper: holding answer 5 June 2013
	The Home Office began tracking cases linked to marriage abuse and sham marriages from 14 January 2013, with intelligence units, caseworking teams, enforcement and crime teams, flagging cases under investigation on the Case Information Database.
	A total of 530 individuals have been linked to sham marriage activities in the period between 14 January and 31 March 2013. A total of 15 removals linked to flagged individuals occurred in the same period.
	Data prior to 14 January is only held at the level of coordinated paper case files or within the notes sections of the Home Office's databases. Such information is not aggregated in national reporting systems, which would mean these questions could only be answered through a disproportionately expensive manual case search to collate the data.
	Sham marriages and the resulting abuse of the UK immigration system cannot be tolerated. Proactive targeting of sham marriages is part of a wider enforcement strategy to make the UK unwelcoming to those looking to flout immigration laws.
	Notes:
	1. All figures quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.
	2. Figures relate to main applicants and dependents.
	3. Figures rounded to nearest five.

Police: Disciplinary Proceedings

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many police officers in the Metropolitan Police Service have been subject to disciplinary proceedings and subsequently taken up employment with another police force within six months, in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many police officers have been subjected to disciplinary proceedings and, within six months, taken up employment with another police force in each of the last five years (a) in total and (b) by each police force in England and Wales, excluding the Metropolitan Police Service.

Damian Green: The Home Office does not hold this information centrally but on 12 February the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), announced a package of measures to improve police integrity. This included a stronger and more consistent system of vetting for police officers and a national register of officers struck off from the police to prevent officers who lose their jobs as a result of misconduct being recruited by other forces.

Police: Mental Illness

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many police officers in the Metropolitan Police Service have resigned on mental health grounds in each of the last five years; and how many of those officers were subject to disciplinary action prior to their resignation;
	(2)  how many police officers in each police force in England and Wales, excluding the Metropolitan Police Service, have resigned on mental health grounds in each of the last five years; and how many of those officers were subject to disciplinary action prior to their resignation.

Damian Green: The Home Office does not hold this information centrally.

Press: Subscriptions

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which newspapers, periodicals and trade profession publications her private ministerial office subscribes to on a (a) daily, (b) weekly, (c) monthly and (d) quarterly basis.

James Brokenshire: The office of the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), receives the following newspapers on a daily basis (Monday-Friday only):
	Financial Times
	The Guardian
	The Independent
	Daily Mail
	Daily Express
	Daily Mirror
	The Sun
	The Times
	Daily Telegraph
	No periodicals or trade profession publications are received.

Procurement

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment her Department makes of the (a) payment of minimum wage, (b) payment of living wage and (c) use of zero hours contracts when tendering for public procurement contracts.

James Brokenshire: The Home Department's contracts require all contractors to comply with the payment of the minimum wage in accordance with the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 which is a legal requirement under employment law.
	No assessment is made regarding the payment of a living wage or use of zero hours contracts when tendering public procurement contracts.

Publications

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will list (a) the title and subject, (b) the total cost to her Department and (c) the commissioned author or organisation of each external report commissioned by her Department in each year since 2010.

James Brokenshire: The information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Serious Organised Crime Agency

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which firm was awarded the July 2010 tender for information with regard to covert aerial surveillance services by the Serious Organised Crime Agency; and whether unmanned aerial vehicles are used by that company. [R]

Damian Green: No firm was awarded the July 2010 tender for information with regard to covert aerial surveillance services by the Serious Organised Crime Agency.

Standards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the reasons are for the time taken to publish her Department's Quarterly Data Summary for the second quarter of 2012-13 and the third quarter of 2012-13.

James Brokenshire: The quarter 2 and quarter 3 Quarterly Data Summary (QDS) returns of all 17 Departments participating in the QDS process were delayed owing to the development of the Cabinet Office's Government Interrogating Spending Tool (GIST). The GIST was developed in response to recommendations made in Dr. Martin Read's independent report entitled “Practical Steps to Improve Management Information in Government”. The GIST is an online tool that allows the public to access a breakdown of government expenditure through the gov.uk website.
	It makes the process of accessing and analysing complex QDS and online system for central accounting and reporting (OSCAR) data easier and quicker, and for these reasons was seen to justify a short delay in publishing QDS data.

Terrorism Act 2000

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were charged under the Terrorism Act 2000 in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: Data on the number and type of charges brought under the Terrorism Act 2000 are published in a Home Office statistical release—Operation of police powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 and subsequent legislation: Arrests, outcomes and stops and searches, Great Britain. The most recent edition of this release was published on 12 September 2013 and contains data to 31 March 2013.
	The number of charges on a 'principal offence' basis under the Terrorism Act 2000 for each of the last five years are:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2008-09 9 
			 2009-10 6 
			 2010-11 3 
			 2011-12 19 
			 2012-13 19 
		
	
	It should be noted that the Home Office publishes data on the above charges on a 'principal offence' basis. Consequently, only the most serious offence is recorded in the statistical release rather than all offences.

Trillium

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department has spent on contracts with Trillium Group in each year since 2008.

James Brokenshire: The Home Department's expenditure on contracts with Trillium Group and its subsidiaries since 2009-10 is detailed in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year Total spend (£) 
			 2009-10 0 
			 2010-11 0 
			 2011-12 423,638 
			 2012-13 403,787 
			 2013-14 4,002 
			 Total 831,427 
		
	
	Information on expenditure on contracts with Trillium Group for the financial year 2008-09 is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Absenteeism

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the rates of staff (a) absence and (b) sickness absence in her Department in each of the past five years were; and what the departmental targets were in each case.

Theresa Villiers: Because of the devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010, and subsequent reconfiguration of the Northern Ireland Office (NIO), my Department does not hold figures for the periods prior to 2010; attempting to obtain this information would incur disproportionate cost.
	Details of absence, other than sick absence, are not held centrally. Staff employed by my Department are on Ministry of Justice (MOJ) terms and conditions. In line with MOJ policies, line managers may permit staff to take paid and/or unpaid absence for a range of activities including, for example, to take up volunteering opportunities.
	In relation to sick absence, the number of working days lost for the last two complete years and the current 12 month rolling period are as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2011 437 
			 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2012 368 
			 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2013 595 
		
	
	The NIO monitors sick absence with a view to ensuring it does not exceed the Civil Service average working days lost (AWDL) per person, which currently stands at 7.6 days. The NIO AWDL for the latest 12 month rolling period is 6.1.

Accountancy

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much her Department has spent on accountants in each year since 2010.

Theresa Villiers: My Department has not incurred any expenditure on external accountants since 2010.

Buildings

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what refurbishments to her Department’s buildings have been carried out in the last 24 months; and at what cost.

Theresa Villiers: The following refurbishment work has been carried out in my Department over the last 24 months:
	Stormont house, Belfast
	Work was undertaken to create additional working space and meeting room facilities so as to accommodate the relocation of staff previously based in premises in Belfast city centre. This enabled my Department to end lease arrangements which cost in the region of £50,000 per annum. The total cost of all work undertaken is estimated at £54,000 (final invoices have yet to be received).
	Hillsborough castle
	Work on interior and exterior redecoration and renovations at Hillsborough castle (a listed building) were undertaken at a cost of £105,452.
	
		
			  £ 
			 August 2011 to March 2012 43,646 
			 April 2012 to March 2013 60,424 
			 April 2013 to August 2013 1,382

Christmas Cards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much her private ministerial office spent on sending Christmas cards in 2012.

Theresa Villiers: The Northern Ireland Office's Ministerial Private Office did not spend any money on Christmas cards in 2012.

Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much her Department spent on external lawyers’ fees in the last year for which figures are available.

Theresa Villiers: My Department has not incurred any expenditure for external lawyers’ fees in any year following the devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010. Any legal advice required was provided by internal services.

Ministers’ Private Offices

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many full-time equivalent staff of each Civil Service grade are currently employed in the private office of each Minister in her Department; and what the pay band of each such member of staff is.

Theresa Villiers: My Department operates one Private Office function which supports the Secretary of State and the Minister of State.
	The total Full Time Equivalent for the Private Office is nine, which is made up of one x band A, three x band C, four x band D and one x band E.
	Staff in Private Office are a mix of Home Civil Servants (HCS) employed by the NIO and Northern Ireland Civil Servants (NICS) seconded to the NIO. The salary bands for both categories are set out in the following table.
	
		
			 £ 
			 Band NICS HCS 
			 A 46,141 to 51,816 n/a 
			 C 30,700 to 33,335 29,495 to 36,061 
			 D 25,871 to 27,271 24,007 to 28,000 
			 E 18,946 to 22,291 n/a

Press: Subscriptions

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which newspapers, periodicals and trade profession publications her private ministerial office subscribes to on a (a) daily, (b) weekly, (c) monthly and (d) quarterly basis.

Theresa Villiers: The Northern Ireland Office's Ministerial Private Office does not subscribe to any newspapers, periodicals and trade profession publications.

Public Relations

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much her Department and its associated public bodies spent on (a) external public relations consultants and (b) public affairs consultants, in each of the past three years; and for what purposes such consultants were engaged.

Theresa Villiers: My Department did not spend any money on external public relations consultants or public affairs consultants in the last three years.
	The Northern Ireland Office has two non-departmental public bodies—the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland; and one advisory non-departmental public body—the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland. These bodies may procure services, without prior approval of the NIO, subject to being within approved control limits. Given this level of operational independence from Government you may wish to write to the Commissions direct on these matters—contact details are set out in the following table:
	
		
			 ALB Status Contact Details 
			 Parades Commission for Northern Ireland Executive NDPB info@paradescommission.org 
			 Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission Executive NDPB information@nihrc.org 
			 Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland Advisory NDPB bcni@belfast.org.uk

Publications

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list (a) the title and subject, (b) the total cost to her Department and (c) the commissioned author or organisation of each external report commissioned by her Department in each year since 2010.

Theresa Villiers: Since 2010, my Department has commissioned the following reports:
	
		
			 Title/subject Total cost (£) Author/organisation 
			 Pat Finucane Review (2011) (1)1,126,950 Sir Desmond de Silva QC 
			 Hillsborough Castle—Operations Options Report (2012) 20,553.30 KPMG 
			 Hillsborough Castle Internal Audit Review—Procurement and Contract Management (2012) 11,290.48 Deloitte 
			 Hillsborough Castle—Accommodation Condition Survey (2013) 6,418 White Young Green 
			 (1) As of the end of August 2013.

Publishing

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much her Department has spent in each of the last three years on hard copy printing of documents for external audiences.

Theresa Villiers: In each of the last three years, my Department has spent the following on hard copy printing of documents for external audiences:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2013-14 to date 8,068.31 
			 2012-13 41,702.32 
			 2011-12 29,120

Satellite Broadcasting

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what subscriptions her Department has for premium satellite television channels; and what the cost of each such subscription was in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Theresa Villiers: My Department does not have any subscriptions to premium satellite television channels.

Security

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many departmental identity cards or passes have been reported lost or stolen by staff in her Department since May 2010.

Theresa Villiers: Two staff passes were reported lost within my Department since May 2010. No passes have been reported as stolen during the same period.

Standards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the reasons are for the time taken to publish her Department’s quarterly data summary for the second quarter of 2012-13 and the third quarter of 2012-13.

Theresa Villiers: The quarter 2 and quarter 3 quarterly data summary (QDS) returns of all 17 Departments participating in the QDS process were delayed owing to the development of the Cabinet Office’s Government Interrogating Spending Tool (GIST). The GIST was developed in response to recommendations made in Dr Martin Read’s independent report entitled “Practical Steps to Improve Management Information in Government”. Before the last general election, no such comparable data was published at all that allows the public to access a breakdown of Government expenditure through the gov.uk website. It makes the process of accessing and analysing complex QDS and OSCAR data easier and quicker, and for these reasons, was seen to justify a short delay in publishing QDS data.

Television

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many flat screen televisions have been purchased by her Department in the last 24 months; and what the cost to the public purse was of such purchases.

Theresa Villiers: In the past 24 months, my Department has purchased 17 flat screen televisions at a total cost of £5,903.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Billing

Nick de Bois: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to the answer of 2 September 2013, Official Report, column 1W, on billing, how much was owed to the outstanding creditors listed in that answer.

Oliver Heald: The Law Officers' Departments are committed to paying all invoices promptly and since May 2010 have aimed to reduce the numbers of creditor invoices which are paid late. The following tables contain details on the number and value of creditor invoices over £10,000 which were paid more than 30 days after receipt during the past three financial years.
	
		
			 Treasury Solicitor's Department (TSol)(1) 
			 Total value of creditor invoices over £10,000 paid more than 30 days after receipt 
			  Between 31 and 45 days Between 46 and 60 days Between 61 and 75 days Between 76 and 90 days Over 91 days 
			  Number Value (£) Number Value (£) Number Value (£) Number Value (£) Number Value (£) 
			 2010-11 39 737,791 15 359,067 5 56,090 4 53,626 14 367,761 
			 2011-12 55 1,211,073 6 188,176 6 134,349 0 0 3 43,760 
			 2012-13 34 821,794 8 160,944 5 64,740 5 87,284 7 106,383 
			 (1) TSol data also cover the Attorney-General's Office and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate. 
		
	
	
		
			 Serious Fraud Office 
			 Total value of creditor invoices over £10,000 paid more than 30 working days after receipt 
			  Between 31 and 45 days Between 46 and 60 days Between 61 and 75 days Between 76 and 90 days Over 91 days 
			  Number Value (£) Number Value (£) Number Value (£) Number Value (£) Number Value (£) 
			 2010-11 78 2,090,588 10 238,562 4 85,917 2 307,161 7 140,728 
			 2011-12 53 1,400,084 7 92,093 3 58,934 3 44,017 1 10,518 
			 2012-13 22 836,905 10 271,743 2 48,920 1 25,402 (1)1 11,627 
			 (1) In the answer of 2 September 2013, the figure for the number of invoices outstanding for 91 days or more in 2012-13 should have read one not two. 
		
	
	
		
			 Crown Prosecution Service 
			 Total value of creditor invoices over £10,000 paid more than 30 days after receipt 
			  Between 31and 45 days Between 46 and 60 days Between 61 and 75 days Between 76 and 90 days Over 91 days 
			  Number Value (£) Number Value (£) Number Value (£) Number Value (£) Number Value (£) 
			 2010-11 347 10,550 179 6,071 101 3,099 71 1,755 142 3,276 
			 2011-12 251 9,094 144 4,974 56 1,849 52 1,420 150 4,249 
			 2012-13 172 5,476 79 2,045 60 1,812 28 773 88 2,307

Crime: Nature Conservation

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Attorney-General whether it is the policy of the Crown prosecution Service to provide wildlife crime training for all generalist prosecutors; and if he will make a statement.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has comprehensive legal guidance on wildlife offences which is readily available to all prosecutors and provides widespread information on a variety of wildlife crime issues. Although there is no specific training for all prosecutors, the CPS does have specialist Area wildlife co-ordinators who receive wildlife crime training.

Crime: Nature Conservation

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Attorney-General how many training sessions on wildlife crime offences the Crown Prosecution Service has delivered in each of the last 10 years.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is committed to training its prosecutors and has provided face to face training on prosecuting such cases. It plans to provide further specialist training for CPS area wildlife crime co-ordinators in 2013-2014. It does not however, maintain a central record of the number of training sessions on wildlife crime offences it has delivered in each of the last 10 years.

Procurement

Chris Ruane: To ask the Attorney-General what assessment the Law Officers' Departments makes of the (a) payment of minimum wage, (b) payment of living wage and (c) use of zero hours contracts when tendering for public procurement contracts.

Oliver Heald: In line with Government procurement policy, the Law Officers' Departments all use pre-tendered pan-Government frameworks for the supply of the majority of services. Such contracts will have been awarded following an open competition process led by either the Government Procurement Service or another Government Department.
	Where a requirement for services cannot be met through a pan-Government contract services will be tendered for services directly. Tenders would be evaluated on a total value for money basis which includes criteria other than price. Where appropriate this could on occasion include some assessment of the use of zero hours contracts, or payment of the minimum wage and living wage.

Protection from Harassment Act 1997

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Attorney-General how many employees of the Crown Prosecution Service have been trained in sections 2A and 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has developed an online e-Learning course on cyber stalking which was launched in September 2012 and includes training on the relevant offences and their identification, as well as covering other issues which may arise in the prosecution of stalking cases. The course was refreshed in June 2013, when it became mandatory learning for all lawyers. The course has been completed by 604 CPS employees to date.
	The CPS is currently developing, further training on the stalking offences, with emphasis on building a strong case, working closely with the police and engaging with victims throughout the legal process.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what latest estimate he has made of likely electoral registration rates in each region of the UK after the introduction of individual registration.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission has advised me that it does not make estimates of future registration rates. However, the Commission is undertaking a programme of research to monitor the transition to individual registration. This includes an assessment of the accuracy and completeness of the registers before and after the transition and extensive data collection at several points during the period.

SCOTLAND

Absenteeism

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the rates of staff (a) absence and (b) sickness absence in his Department in each of the past five years were; and what the departmental targets were in each case.

David Mundell: All Scotland Office staff are on assignment, loan or secondment from other Government bodies, principally the Scottish Government and the Ministry of Justice, which have their own absence management policies and recording processes, that apply to those of their staff working in this Office.
	Since 2010, the Scotland Office has local records that confirm that the average working days lost per employee in 2010 was 1.01 days, 2011 was 0.85 days and 2012 was 0.69 days. The Office's senior management keeps sick absence under review and has noted that the rate of absence is low compared to other bodies and that it has declined since 2010.

Accountancy

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department has spent on accountants in each year since 2010.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has incurred no costs on accountants since 2010.

Air Travel

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many individual domestic air flights were undertaken within Great Britain by representatives of his Department in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what the cost to the public purse of each such flight was.

David Mundell: The number of flights undertaken by representatives of the Scotland Office within Great Britain in 2012-13 was 789, at a total cost of £132,711.83.

Buildings

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what refurbishments to his Department’s buildings have been carried out in the last 24 months; and at what cost.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not separately record the expenditure on building refurbishments from the repairs and maintenance costs of maintaining the lease obligations of our landlords. The total cost of repairs and maintenance for our buildings in Edinburgh and London in the last 24 months was £417,147.34.

Christmas Cards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his private ministerial office spent on sending Christmas cards in 2012.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office private ministerial office does not separately record the cost of sending Christmas cards from the day to day postage costs.

Employment

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the recent trends in the levels of employment in Scotland.

David Mundell: The Office for National Statistics publishes official monthly data on regional employment.
	Since this coalition came into power in 2010, overall employment in Scotland has risen by 99,000, and is at its highest level since 2008. The number of people employed in the private sector in Scotland has increased by 121,500. Over the last month to August, the number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance in Scotland fell by 2,900 and over the last year the number of claimants decreased by 15,200.
	This rise in employment, together with fewer people claiming jobseekers allowance in Scotland, shows the decisions we are taking to tackle the deficit and build a stronger and fairer economy are working.

Enterprise Zones: Ayrshire

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from the Scottish Government regarding Enterprise Zone status for (a) Kilmarnock and (b) East Ayrshire.

David Mundell: Scotland Office Ministers have regular discussions with the business sector on the need to support economic growth in all areas of Scotland; we have not received representations from the Scottish Government to extend Enterprise Zone status to Kilmarnock or East Ayrshire.

Ministers’ Private Offices

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many full-time equivalent staff of each Civil Service grade are currently employed in the private office of each Minister in his Department; and what the pay band of each such member of staff is.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office operates one private office function which supports the Secretary of State and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State.
	The total full-time equivalent for the private office is nine, which is made up of one x SCS, one x Band A, one x Band B, one x Band C, and five x Band D.
	All staff in the Scotland Office are on secondment type arrangement mainly from the Scottish Government or the Ministry of Justice. The salary bands for both categories are set out in the following table.
	
		
			 Band Pay range (£) 
			 SCS 60,000 to 117,800 
			 A 43,736 to 67,969 
			 B 32,249 to 44,964 
			 C 25,165 to 36,061 
			 D 22,173 to 28,000

Press: Subscriptions

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which newspapers, periodicals and trade profession publications his private ministerial office subscribes to on a (a) daily, (b) weekly, (c) monthly and (d) quarterly basis.

David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland’s private office subscribes to the following newspapers on a Monday to Thursday, only during the periods when Parliament is sitting: Daily Record; Guardian; Financial Times; and Times.
	Vacher's Quarterly on a quarterly basis.

Public Relations

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department and its associated public bodies spent on (a) external public relations consultants and (b) public affairs consultants, in each of the past three years; and for what purposes such consultants were engaged.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has not incurred costs on (a) external public relations consultants and (b) public affairs consultants, in any of the past three years.

Publications

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list (a) the title and subject, (b) the total cost to his Department and (c) the commissioned author or organisation of each external report commissioned by his Department in each year since 2010.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office have not commissioned any external reports since 2010.

Publishing

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department has spent in each of the last three years on hard copy printing of documents for external audiences.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office spend on hard copy printing of documents for external audiences in each of the last three years was as follows:
	
		
			  Spend (£) 
			 2010-11 18,888.34 
			 2011-12 9,750.99 
			 2012-13 11,900.30

Satellite Broadcasting

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what subscriptions his Department has for premium satellite television channels; and what the cost of each such subscription was in the most recent year for which figures are available.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has no subscriptions for premium satellite television channels.

Security

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many departmental identity cards or passes have been reported lost or stolen by staff in his Department since May 2010.

David Mundell: 10 Scotland Office security passes have been reported lost by staff in the Department since May 2010. As soon as a security pass is reported as lost, it is immediately de-activated before a new one is issued.

Social Security Benefits

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent assessment he has made of the likely effect on families in Scotland of changes to welfare benefits.

David Mundell: The Government's reform of welfare will deliver a system that is simpler, fairer and ensures that work always pays. In Scotland, 300,000 households will be better off under universal credit, gaining an average of £162 extra per month.
	This year, I have personally met with all 32 local authorities in Scotland, COSLA, and a number of housing associations and third sector organisations to discuss welfare reform and to hear first-hand the measures being put in place to implement the changes. I have also committed to meeting again all 32 local authorities before the end of the year.

Social Security Benefits

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met anti-poverty campaigners in Scotland to discuss the effect in Scotland of welfare reforms; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: Ministers and officials from the Scotland Office meet regularly with organisations who campaign against poverty in Scotland. Organisations I have met with include Citizens Advice Scotland, SCVO and Highland Food Bank where I discussed a wide range of topics including welfare reform.
	Where people are able, work is the best route out of poverty and the Government's welfare reforms and employment programmes aim to help people into work. In Scotland, 300,000 households will be better off under universal credit, gaining an average of £162 extra per month. Around 75% of those households will be in the bottom 40% of the income distribution.

Standards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the reasons are for the time taken to publish his Department’s quarterly data summary for the second quarter of 2012-13 and the third quarter of 2012-13.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office is not required to publish quarterly data summaries. The Scotland Office business plan for 2013-14 is published at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/scotland-office-business-plan-2012-to-2013

Television

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many flat screen televisions have been purchased by his Department in the last 24 months; and what the cost to the public purse was of such purchases.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office have purchased three flat screen televisions in the last 24 months at a total cost of £611.96.

Vetting

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the Deputy First Minister of Scotland on prohibiting businesses who use blacklisting from bidding for further Government contracts; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: Neither the former Secretary of State for Scotland nor I have discussed with the Deputy First Minister of Scotland prohibiting businesses who use blacklisting from bidding for further Government contracts.
	The UK Government is clear that blacklisting is an unacceptable and illegal practice. That is why the Employment Relations Act 1999 (Blacklists) Regulations 2010 prohibit the use of blacklists. Public sector procurers are currently required to comply with EU Treaty principles of openness, transparency and non-discrimination when awarding public contracts. Contracts over certain thresholds are also subject to the detailed rules set out in EU Directives and implemented by the Public Contracts Regulations 2006, which set out in detail how the contract must be conducted. Under existing EU procurement rules, public procurers must exclude suppliers from bidding for public contracts when they have been convicted of certain offences including blacklisting, corruption and fraud.

WALES

Absenteeism

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the rates of staff (a) absence and (b) sickness absence in his Department in each of the past five years were; and what the departmental targets were in each case.

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office formed part of the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) prior to 2010 and data for the Department was not recorded separately prior to this.
	The Wales Office is reliant on the MOJ for data on absences from 2010 onwards.
	The MOJ is able to provide the data requested only at disproportionate cost.
	The sickness absence levels for the Wales Office over the last three years are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Average working days lost (AWDL) 
			 2010 4.9 
			 2011 7.1 
			 2012 6.1 
		
	
	The Wales Office uses the MOJ's target for sickness absence levels of 7.5 AWDL. The current AWDL for the whole Civil Service is 7.6.

Accountancy

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department has spent on accountants in each year since 2010.

Stephen Crabb: Nothing.

Air Travel

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many individual domestic air flights were undertaken within Great Britain by representatives of his Department in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what the cost to the public purse of each such flight was.

Stephen Crabb: In 2012-13, the most recent year for which figures are available, one domestic flight was undertaken by Wales Office representatives at a cost of £72.27.

Billing

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many invoices were processed by his Department in the last financial year for which figures are available.

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office uses the Ministry of Justice shared services (Liberata) for the processing of its invoices. In 2012-13, the Ministry of Justice processed 1,428 invoices for the Wales Office.

Buildings

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what refurbishments to his Department's buildings have been carried out in the last 24 months; and at what cost.

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office has carried out no refurbishment work in the last two years, although work has been undertaken to our London office at Gwydyr House relating to office moves and general maintenance, and to address health and safety, and security concerns.

Carbon Emissions

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much has been spent by his Department on offsetting costs for energy-related carbon dioxide in the last year for which figures are available. [Official Report, 15 October 2013, Vol. 568, c. 8MC.]

Stephen Crabb: Nil. The Wales Office’s carbon credits are bought by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ). The Wales Office element of the MOJ’s carbon credits for 2011-12 was 0.02% which equates to £389.64.

Christmas Cards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his private ministerial office spent on sending Christmas cards in 2012.

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office spent £258 on producing Christmas cards in 2012, and an estimated £116 on their postage.

Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on external lawyers’ fees in the last year for which figures are available.

Stephen Crabb: In 2012-13, the Wales Office spent £55,690.98 on external lawyers’ fees.

Ministers’ Private Offices

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many full-time equivalent staff of each Civil Service grade are currently employed in the private office of each Minister in his Department; and what the pay band of each such member of staff is.

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office Private Office staffing is a shared resource for all Ministers. However, each Minister in the Wales Office has 2.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff employed in their private office. The current grade and pay band for each staff member are listed in the following table.
	
		
			 Private office of Grade Pay Band (£) 
			 Secretary of State for Wales SCS Pay Band 1 58,200 to 117,800 
			  Executive Officer 24,007 to 28,000 
			    
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Commons) Senior Executive Officer 35,188 to 44,964 
			  Administrative Officer 19,385 to 22,250 
			    
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Lords) Principal Officer (Grade 7) 50,534 to 67,969 
			  Administrative Officer 19,385 to 22,250

Motor Sports

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government regarding the proposed circuit of Wales.

David Jones: I have had no discussions with the Welsh Government regarding the proposed circuit of Wales.

Press: Subscriptions

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which newspapers, periodicals and trade profession publications his private ministerial office subscribes to on a (a) daily, (b) weekly, (c) monthly and (d) quarterly basis.

David Jones: None.

Public Relations

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department and its associated public bodies spent on (a) external public relations consultants and (b) public affairs consultants, in each of the past three years; and for what purposes such consultants were engaged.

Stephen Crabb: Nothing.

Publications

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list (a) the title and subject, (b) the total cost to his Department and (c) the commissioned author or organisation of each external report commissioned by his Department in each year since 2010.

Stephen Crabb: Since 2010 the majority of external reports commissioned by the Wales Office relate to the structure of buildings and Health and Safety. Details of these reports are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Title/Subject Commissioned author/Organisation Total costs (£) 
			 2010 Working Together project Dr K Mclvor 6,870.85 
			 2011 Structure report on office White Young Green 550.00 
			 2012 Fire stopping survey MJ Furguson Ltd 2,286.27 
			 2012 Fire risk assessment White Young Green 898.00 
			 2012 Consultancy report for infrastructure works White Young Green 3,310.00 
			 2012 Asbestos assessment in server room White Young Green 817.50 
			 2012 Structural report on office MJ Furguson Ltd 452.62 
			 2012 Dilapidation assessment GVA 1,395.00 
			 2012 Fire audit report Bureau Veritas 850.00 
			 2012 Fire risk assessment White Young Green 200.00 
			 2013 Feasibility study for security glazing Purcell Miller Tritton LLP 4,000.00 
			 2013 Quantity surveyor advice on security glazing Purcell Miller Tritton LLP 4,845.00 
		
	
	In addition, the Commission on Devolution in Wales, established by the Government in October 2011 to review the financial and constitutional arrangements in Wales, reported on the first part of its remit in November 2012. The Commission's costs are published in the Wales Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wales-office-annual-report-published

Publishing

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department has spent in each of the last three years on hard copy printing of documents for external audiences.

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office has spent £2,803.56 in 2011, £3,151.86 in 2012 and £1,743.51 in 2013 to date.

Satellite Broadcasting

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what subscriptions his Department has for premium satellite television channels; and what the cost of each such subscription was in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Stephen Crabb: None.

Security

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many departmental identity cards or passes have been reported lost or stolen by staff in his Department since May 2010.

Stephen Crabb: Three Wales Office passes have been reported lost since May 2010.

Standards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the reasons are for the time taken to publish his Department's Quarterly Data Summary for the second quarter of 2012-13 and the third quarter of 2012-13.

Stephen Crabb: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given today by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude).

Television

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many flat screen televisions have been purchased by his Department in the last 24 months; and what the cost to the public purse was of such purchases.

Stephen Crabb: In the last 24 months the Wales Office has purchased two flat screen televisions at a cost of £727.12.

Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Minister of Wales about the potential effects of the provisions of the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill on third sector organisations in Wales.

David Jones: The Bill deals wholly with non-devolved matters. I wrote to the First Minister of Wales on 16 July informing him of the introduction of the Bill, and the then Minister for Political and Constitutional Reform, my hon. Friend the Member for Norwich North (Miss Smith), wrote on 17 July to set out the main provisions of the Bill.

Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which third sector organisations in Wales he has consulted about the potential effect on them of the provisions of part 2 of the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill; and when those consultations took place.

David Jones: The Government is aware of the concerns raised by charities and voluntary organisations regarding clause 26 of the Bill. Following consultation with the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, the Government published amendments to this clause, to be debated at Report stage.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Domestic Violence

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether domestic homicide reviews are carried out by military police in relation to UK garrisons based overseas; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: Domestic homicide reviews (DHRs) were introduced on a statutory basis by the Home Office in April 2011. The Ministry of Defence is not listed as one of the statutory bodies to whom the provision of DHRs apply.
	A search of records held by the Service Police Crime Bureau did not identify any cases involving domestic violence-related deaths in overseas garrisons over the last 10 years. However, should such a tragedy occur, the Chain of Command would have available to it the means to conduct an appropriate investigation.

Armed Forces: Housing

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much funding was allocated for the improvement and maintenance of living accommodation in each category for the (a) RAF, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Army for each financial year from 2009-10; and what funding has been allocated for the next three full financial years.

Andrew Murrison: It will take time to gather this information. I will write to the hon. Member.
	Substantive answer from Dr Andrew Murrison to Russell Brown:
	I undertook to write to you in answer to your Parliamentary Question of 10 September 2013 (Official Report, column 668-669W) on how much funding was allocated for the improvement and maintenance of living accommodation, both Service Family Accommodation (SFA) and Single Living Accommodation (SLA).
	Accommodation is managed on a Tri-Service basis and is not split by individual service. Expenditure in the UK is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial Year Status SFA (£ million) SLA (£ million) 
			 2009-10 Actual 167.4 149.0 
			 2010-11 Actual 140.1 154.3 
			 2011-12 Actual 183.1 123.6 
			 2012-13 Actual 177.3 131.7 
			 2013-14 Forecast 207.7 126.5 
			 2014-15 Plan 230.7 104.7 
			 2015-16 Plan 210.8 45.8 
			 2016-17 Plan 149.0 105.3 
		
	
	Expenditure on new properties is not included in the figures given above.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether UK defence contractors supplying personnel for use in UK defence bases abroad are prohibited from including in the contracts of those deployed in theatre a clause denying the right to report sexual offences; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Dunne: No.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many sexual violence perpetrator programmes are available to (a) Royal Navy, (b) Army and (c) Royal Air Force personnel; where each such programme is made available; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many places are available on his Department's domestic violence perpetrator programmes; what the length is of each such programme; how many participants failed to conclude each of the programmes in the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: The tri-Service Military Corrective Training Centre (MCTC) in Colchester has a range of offender programmes designed to address detainees’ offender attitudes, thinking and behaviour. These include the newly introduced Domestic Abuse programme delivered by Essex Probation Services. The MCTC does not provide specific sex offender treatment programmes, primarily because detainees generally serve short sentences and are not sentenced for offences which would warrant this type of intervention.
	When a service person based in the UK is ordered by a civil court to attend a rehabilitation programme, commanding officers will ensure that the individual is not prevented through their military duties from complying with the order. Any serious impact on the military duties of the individual which result from such an order being imposed is considered during the service’s administrative process that follows court proceedings, and an employment decision is made accordingly. Where appropriate, the service police and welfare services will liaise with Home Office police forces and the Probation Service to assist in the offender management process.
	Domestic violence offender programmes have been offered to British forces in Germany since November 2008. It is taking time to collate the details and I will write to the hon. Member shortly.

Arms Trade

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he has met Ministers in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to discuss support for and management of UK defence exports in the last year.

Philip Dunne: Ministers talk to their counterparts in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office frequently about a range of topics including defence exports.

Billing

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence further to the answer of 2 September 2013, Official Report, column 39W, on billing, how much was owed by the outstanding creditors listed in that answer.

Philip Dunne: The total amount owed by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to creditors with invoices for over £10,000 that were unpaid within 30 days was as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2010-11 191.5 
			 2011-12 213.8 
			 2012-13 396.9 
		
	
	The MOD processes around 5 million invoices each year with a total value in excess of £20 billion.
	The MOD ran a major initiative during 2012-13 to convert defence suppliers to a new electronic Purchase2Payment bill paying system. The higher figure in 2012-13 reflects a higher number of incorrectly submitted invoices. We are working with suppliers to help them adapt to the new, more cost-efficient payment process. In 2012-13, 92% of correctly submitted invoices were paid within five days.

Buildings

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many square metres of office space his Department (a) owns and (b) rents in London; and what the value is of that property.

Mark Francois: MOD owns or rents the following buildings in London for office use. Valuations of Main Building and the Old War Office are held on the National Asset Register, which is available at:
	http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm70/7022/7022.asp
	
		
			 London properties Freehold/Leasehold Square metres 
			 Main Building Freehold 58,666 
			 Old War Office Freehold 22,926 
			 Cromwell House Leasehold 2,465 
			 Finlaison House Leasehold 890 
			 Eastcheap Court Leasehold 217

Buildings

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the expenditure on office refurbishment by (a) his Department and (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies in each year since 2010-11.

Mark Francois: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Buildings

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the number of office relocations made by staff of (a) his Department and (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies (i) within the original building and (ii) to other buildings in each year since 2009-10; what the cost of (A) removals and (B) refurbishments related to such moves has been; and on how many occasions offices refurbished by his Department in that period have been used by his Department's staff for less than four years before a further move.

Mark Francois: This information is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Cybercrime

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what timetable the Defence Cyber Protection Partnership is to report back on its findings and give recommendations on (a) information sharing, (b) development of threat derived standards and measurement framework and (c) communication and awareness in the supply chain.

Andrew Robathan: The Defence Cyber Protection Partnership is due to provide regular updates on all of these areas to the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), throughout the programme. The next update is due in November. Public announcements will be made as the programme matures.

Cybercrime

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who the members of the Defence Cyber Protection Partnership are.

Andrew Robathan: The Defence Cyber Protection Partnership currently includes the Ministry of Defence, Government Communications Headquarters, Centre for Protection of National Infrastructure, British Aerospace, BT, CGI Logica, Cassadian, General Dynamics, Hewlett Packard, Lockheed Martin, QinetiQ, Raytheon UK, Rolls-Royce, Selex ES (part of Finmeccanica), Thales UK, ADS (Aerospace Defence Security) and Intellect. There is an intention for more organisations to be included as work progresses.

Cyprus

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much land area in hectares is owned (a) freehold and (b) leasehold by his Department in (i) Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area and (ii) Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area.

Andrew Robathan: The information requested is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Sovereign base area Freehold—hectares Leasehold—hectares 
			 Akrotiri 624 2477 
			 Dhekelia 1283 1056

Defence: Procurement

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the budget for non-lethal force protection equipment is for 2014-15.

Philip Dunne: Non-lethal force protection has been interpreted as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), such as helmets and plates, personal load carrying equipment (including webbing, belts and pouches) and CBRN suits. The anticipated expenditure for these purchases for financial year 2014-15 is some £16 million. This does not include Concept and Assessment Phase expenditure for developing new CBRN suits.
	In addition, VIRTUS, which aims to deliver an integrated helmet and torso protection solution (including face, eye, pelvic and knee protection) optimising the whole system capability for service personnel, has a budget of approximately £5 million for financial year 2014-15.

Defence: Procurement

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has commissioned any outside reviews of the proposed new GoCo from (a) Deloitte, (b) Ernst and Young, (c) PricewaterhouseCoopers and (d) KPMG; and if he will place a copy of such advice in the Library.

Philip Dunne: The Department has not commissioned any of the companies listed to conduct outside reviews of the proposed GOCO option.

Disclosure of Information

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason the defence journalist and military historian Sir Max Hastings has been refused, by Ministers, requests made for him to be briefed by serving uniformed Ministry of Defence personnel; whether this decision is part of a wider policy of not giving permission for such briefings to be given extends to (a) all journalists or (b) only particular journalists; whether the policy also applies to briefing by his Department's staff to hon. Members; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 5 September 2013
	As set out in long-standing Defence Instruction and Notices (DINs), senior officers and senior civil servants in the MOD are required to seek prior approval to communicate in public including contact with journalists and other media representatives. The same system applies to briefings to hon. Members; this principle was applied by previous Governments. These procedures have been put in place to ensure that national, operational and personal security is upheld, and that standards of political impartiality and public accountability are met at all times.
	They are consistent with the Civil Service Code and Civil Service Management Code, and the relevant Queen's Regulations for the Armed Forces and departmental civilian regulations.
	Decisions to authorise such meetings, briefings and speeches are made on a case-by-case basis, on the advice of the MOD's Directorate of Media and Communication, in consideration of the topics to be discussed, the aim of the engagement and its potential benefits to the Department. The MOD regularly holds media briefings on a wide range of defence topics to which journalists are invited.
	Requests for private lunches or dinners with senior officers or senior civil servants are highly unusual and would not normally be agreed. In the interests of transparency I am placing a copy of the current DIN in the Library of the House.

Members: Correspondence

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he intends to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Chesterfield of 13 May 2013 sent on behalf of Mr Fred Roberts.

Mark Francois: I responded to the hon. Member on 18 June 2013. However, he chased up his letter on 25 June 2013 as he did not appear to have received my reply and a further copy of my letter was emailed to the hon. Member's office on 28 June 2013. A further letter has now been sent to his office.

Military Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate what proportion of the monetary value of the work on the Helicopter Support contract for Apache AH.1 and AW 1010 Merlin helicopters will be undertaken in (a) Scotland, (b) England, (c) Wales, (d) Northern Ireland and (e) overseas over the course of that contract.

Philip Dunne: I assume the hon. Member is referring to the recently awarded £367 million contract for the support of the RTM322 engine which is used in the Apache AHI and AW101 Merlin helicopters. Work under this contract is performed by the Rolls Royce Turbomeca joint venture in the UK, France, Germany and Italy with 60% of the work performed overseas. Of the remaining UK share, the vast majority of work is undertaken at the Rolls-Royce repair and overhaul facilities at Ansty in Warwickshire and Filton in South Gloucestershire.
	We expect this contract to save taxpayers £300 million over its lifetime, compared to the previous contractual arrangements.

Military Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the suitability of the BAe 146 as an air tanker.

Philip Dunne: The Department has identified Defence's requirements for air-to-air refuelling. This concluded that Voyager will meet all air-to-air refuelling requirements. No assessment has been made of the air-to-air refuelling capability of the BAE 146.

Military Decorations: World War II

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to issue (a) Arctic Stars and (b) the Bomber Command Clasp to (i) living veterans, (ii) surviving spouses and (iii) other next of kin from applications received by 1 September 2013.

Mark Francois: Arctic Star and Bomber Command Clasps have now been issued to all eligible veterans where applications were received prior to 1 September 2013.
	It is planned that the majority of Arctic Star and Bomber Command Clasps will be issued by the end of 2013 to surviving spouses where applications were received prior to 1 September 2013.
	It is too early to say when all applications from other next of kin received prior to 1 September 2013 will have been processed. However, the first awards were despatched on 24 September 2013.

Military Decorations: World War II

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many awards have been made of the (a) Arctic Star and (b) Bomber Command Clasp to (i) living veterans, (ii) surviving spouses and (iii) other next of kin as of 1 September 2013.

Mark Francois: The numbers of Arctic Stars and Bomber Command Clasps issued to surviving veterans as at 1 September were 3,857 and 2,021 respectively.
	Only in exceptional circumstances or for compassionate reasons were a very small number of Arctic Stars and Bomber Command Clasps issued to surviving spouses or next of kin prior to 1 September 2013.

Military Decorations: World War II

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many applications had been received for the (a) Arctic Star and (b) Bomber Command Clasp from (i) living veterans, (ii) surviving spouses and (iii) other next of kin as of 1 September 2013.

Mark Francois: The number of applications that had been received for the Arctic Star and Bomber Command Clasp as at 1 September 2013 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Veterans Spouses Next of kin 
			 Arctic Star 4,488 2,673 9,605 
			 Bomber Command Clasp 3,213 1,341 4,599

Military Decorations: World War II

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many applications for (a) Arctic Stars and (b) the Bomber Command Clasp made by surviving spouses have been awarded to next of kin because of the death of the applicant during the processing period.

Mark Francois: As far as we are aware no Arctic Stars or Bomber Command Clasps have been issued to next of kin as a result of a surviving spouse dying since making their application.

Military Exercises

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assets and how many personnel will take part in Exercise Brilliant Mariner 2013; and what he estimates the cost to the public purse of that exercise will be.

Andrew Robathan: Exercise Brilliant Mariner is a NATO Exercise in which one UK naval vessel with 40 personnel will be participating. This exercise is part of the ship's programmed activity within the Standing Commitment to NATO tasking and costs for the exercise are not identified separately.

Military Exercises

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what assets and how many personnel took part in Exercise Albanian Lion; what assessment the Commanding Officer of 42 Commando Royal Marines made of the Albanian force; and what estimate he has made of the likely cost to the public purse of that exercise;
	(2)  what assets and how many personnel will take part in Exercise Bright Star; what he estimates the cost to the public purse of that exercise will be; and which (a) Egyptian and (b) United States Armed Forces units will participate;
	(3)  what assets and how many personnel will take part in Exercise Red Alligator; what he estimates the cost to the public purse of that exercise will be; and which Saudi Arabian armed forces units will participate;
	(4)  what assets and how many personnel will take part in Exercise Djibouti Scorpion and Exercise Djibouti Lion; what he estimates the cost to the public purse will be; and which Djibouti armed forces units will participate;
	(5)  what assets and how many personnel will take part in Exercise Sea Khanjar; what he estimates the cost to the public purse will be; and which United Arab Emirates armed forces units will participate;
	(6)  what UK military assets and how many UK military personnel will take part in Exercise Omani Cougar; at what cost to the public purse; and what Omani armed forces units will participate in that exercise;
	(7)  what countries have accepted invitations for their service personnel to embark on Exercise Cougar 13; and how many personnel have embarked, by country.

Andrew Robathan: The Cougar 13 Task Group deployment fulfils a range of objectives: training and work-up, force integration with multinational allies, and Defence engagement with international partners during its transit through the Mediterranean and the Gulf region.
	Exercise Albanian Lion was the first exercise of the deployment, and involved HMS Bulwark, HMS Illustrious, HMS Montrose, RFA Mounts Bay, RFA Lyme Bay, RFA Fort Austin, MV Hurst Point, three RAF Merlin Mk3, three Army Air Corps Lynx Mk7, one RN Merlin Mk1, one RN Lynx Mk8 and the Lead Commando Group from 3 Cdo Brigade. There were approximately 2,750 UK personnel involved in Exercise Albanian Lion. In addition, a sub unit from the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps and Albanian force elements played a central role in the exercise and contributed fully in achieving the training objectives. It was the third such exercise in as many years, and concluded with a demonstration for the President of Albania.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 5 September 2013, Official Report, column 485W, regarding the number of UK assets and personnel participating in Cougar any of which may participate in one, or all, of the remainder of these exercises. I am unable to confirm the participation of specific units ahead of time, as the level of UK contribution remains subject to wider planning considerations and circumstances.
	It would be inappropriate for me to release details of the planned levels of participation in each exercise, in terms of specific assets or personnel, of our partners in the region. However, the exercises are largely amphibious in nature and include a Task Group centred around the flagship with the land elements of the exercises at unit level.
	Activity costs for individual exercises are not identified separately from the overall Cougar deployment. The specific information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost but their marginal costs above planned operating levels are low.
	There are 53 personnel from Australia, Albania, Libya, Denmark, Estonia, Saudi Arabia, Netherlands, Canada, Norway, UAE and Oman who have been, or plan to be, attached on a temporary basis to units in the Cougar Task Group.

Military Exercises

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what exercises are planned for the Royal Marine Commandos in Norway in 2014; and which units will participate.

Andrew Robathan: The winter deployment in Norway is the UK annual activity required to maintain the Royal Marines’ ability to conduct mountain and cold weather warfare training. The Royal Marine (RM) Commando units planned to participate for Exercise CETUS 14 are:
	Tranche 1: One Company from 40 Cdo RM and elements from Commando Logistics Regiment, 30 Cdo IX Group RM and Armoured Support Troop. Additionally there will be specialist trainers drawn from across the Brigade.
	Tranche 2; 42 Cdo RM HQ, two Company Groups, 8 Battery from 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery, and elements from Commando Logistics Regiment, from 24 Commando Engineer Regiment and from 539 ASRM. Additionally there will be specialist trainers drawn from across the Brigade.
	In addition, Royal Marines are planned to participate in Exercise Cold Response 14. the Norwegian biennial invitational live exercise that provides an arena to exercise joint and combined aspects of operations at the tactical level and enhance war-fighting skills for participating forces. Allied and partner nations are invited to participate to benefit from Norwegian exercise facilities and to exercise in a joint and combined context under challenging conditions. The RM units planned to take part are:
	The Response Cell from HQ 3 Cdo Brigade, 42 Cdo RM HQ, two Company Groups, 8 Battery from 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery, and elements from 30 Cdo IX Group RM, from 24 Commando Engineer Regiment, from 539 ASRM and from Commando Logistics Regiment.

Military Intelligence

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 2 September 2013, Official Report, column 51W, on military intelligence, whether Project Crossbow operates from US military bases in the UK. [R]

Andrew Robathan: No. The Crossbow capability, which provides near real time imagery intelligence analysis to support the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, is only delivered from RAF Marham in Norfolk by personnel of the RAF Tactical Imagery-Intelligence Wing using RAF Tornados.

Procurement

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department makes of the (a) payment of minimum wage, (b) payment of living wage and (c) use of zero hours contracts when tendering for public procurement contracts.

Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence may, where appropriate, take account of social considerations in the evaluation of tenders where they are linked to the object of the contract and do not contravene any law.

Prosecutions

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many successful prosecutions have been brought under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 in each of the last five years.

Mark Francois: I will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested.
	Substantive answer from Mark Francois to Dr Matthew Offord:
	I undertook to write to you in answer to your Parliamentary Question on 12 September (Official Report, column 796W) about how many prosecutions have been brought under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 in each of the last five years.
	I can confirm that a successful prosecution took place in 2011 following an investigation by the Ministry of Defence Police, which resulted in the conviction of a diver who removed items from the protected military wreck, HMS Duke of Albany.

Radioactive Materials

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether there is a radiation protection officer assigned to each of his Department's sites that handles ionising radioactive materials.

Mark Francois: Ministry of Defence (MOD) radiation safety requirements are set out in JSP 392—Radiation Safety Handbook. This is a publicly available document and can be accessed at the following web addresses:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/jsp-392-radiation-safety-handbook-volume-1
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/jsp-392-radiation-safety-handbook-volume-2
	The precise nature of the arrangements at each site is the responsibility of the Commanding Officer or Head of Establishment and depends on the outcome of statutorily required risk assessments and advice from Radiation Protection Advisers.
	JSP 392 describes the duties of individuals currently known as Radiation Safety Officers, Radiation Protection Supervisors and Workplace Supervisors. MOD is aware that draft EU regulations have introduced the term "radiation protection officer" and foresee no difficulty in adapting the current arrangements in JSP 392 to take account of any new statutory management requirement.

Service Personnel and Veterans Agency

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average response time is of the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency to queries raised with it by veterans in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mark Francois: The majority of queries received in the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency are fielded in the first instance by the Veterans UK Freephone Helpline (H/L) which also responds to email correspondence from veterans. The Veterans Welfare Service (VWS) does not monitor call response times however, for completeness their correspondence target achievement is included. Latest figures held are as follows:
	Helpline call response times averaged over June/July/August 2013: 69 seconds
	Written correspondence percentage against five working day target YTD:
	H/L: 99.08%
	VWS: 95.04%

Service Personnel and Veterans Agency

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints were received by the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency about its procedures for veterans making a claim for their pensions in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mark Francois: For the period 2 April 2013 to 30 August 2013 the total number of complaints received by the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency's Customer Services Team from veterans regarding any aspect of their ongoing claims to War Disablement Pension is 119.

Territorial Army: Scotland

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which sites are used by the Territorial Army (TA) in Scotland; and how many TA personnel are based at each such site.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 8 July 2013
	I will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Substantive answer from Andrew Robathan to Alan Reid:
	I undertook to write to you in answer to your Parliamentary Question on 18 July 2013 (Official Report, columns 958-59W), about sites used by the Territorial Army in Scotland.
	As at 1 May 2013, there were 52 sites used by the Territorial Army (TA) in Scotland. Information on the number of TA personnel based at each site is not held in the format requested but information on the approximate numbers by location is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 TA Site Location Number of personnel 
			 Gordon Barracks Aberdeen 200 
			 Arbroath TAC Arbroath — 
			 Seaforth Road TAC Chalmers Road TAC Ayr 120 
			 Bathgate TAC Bathgate 10 
			 Cumbernauld TAC Cumbernauld 110 
			 Yeomanry House Cupar 70 
			 Irvine TAC Dreghorn 50 
			 Dumbarton TAC Dunoon TAC Dumbarton 60 
			 Dumfries TAC Dumfries 10 
			 Bothwell House TAC Bruce House TAC Dunfermline 50 
			 Invergowrie TAC Newman House TAC Oliver Barracks TAC Fort Charlotte, Shetland Keith TAC Kirkcaldy TAC Dundee 240 
			 Alnwickhill Road TAC Colinton Road TAC East Claremont Street TAC Glencorse Lanark Road TAC McDonald Road TAC Edinburgh 290 
			 Elgin TAC Elgin 50 
			 Galashiels TAC Galashiels 10 
		
	
	
		
			 Carmunnock Road TAC Claverhouse TAC, Edinburgh(1) Clydesmill Drive TAC Crow Road TAC Govan TAC Hamilton TAC Houldsworth Street TAC Jardine Street TAC Motherwell TAC Walcheran Barracks TAC Whitemoss TAC, East Kilbride(2) Glasgow and Lanarkshire 680 
			 Glenrothes TAC Glenrothes 60 
			 Gordonville Road TAC Stornoway TAC Wick TAC Inverness 50 
			 Kilmarnock Kilmarnock — 
			 RAF Leuchars Inchinnan TAC Leuchars 40 
			 Beveridge Square Livingston 70 
			 Kirkwall TAC Orkney 20 
			 Hawkhead Road TAC Paisley 100 
			 Queens Barracks TAC Perth 80 
			 Peterhead TAC Peterhead 10 
			 Stirling TAC Grangemouth TAC Stirling 70 
			 '—' Denotes zero or rounded to zero, with all other data rounded to the nearest 10. (1, 2) Shown under ‘Glasgow’ as data for the Detachment based here is grouped with parent unit in Glasgow. 
		
	
	The data has been sourced from the Joint Personnel Administration system and the accuracy of the underlying data is yet to be fully validated and is under review. As such all figures in the above table should be considered to be estimates.
	Under the plans announced in the House on 3 July (Official Report, column 922), the number of sites in Scotland will reduce to 46.

Trillium

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on contracts with Trillium Group in each year since 2008.

Philip Dunne: Expenditure on Ministry of Defence (MOD) contracts with Trillium Group between 2008-09 and 2010-11 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year Expenditure (£) 
			 2008-09 68,000 
			 2009-10 72,000 
			 2010-11 8,000 
		
	
	This does not include payments which may have been made on behalf of other Government Departments, by the MOD executive non-departmental public bodies (which lie outside the MOD accounting boundary), locally by the Department, through third parties such as prime contractors or other Government Departments, and in relation to collaborative projects where the payments are made through international procurement agencies or overseas governments. Payments made by Government Procurement Card are also not included.
	Since January 2011, as part of this Government's commitment to improve transparency, central Government Departments publish information on the contracts they award on Contracts Finder:
	www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/
	In addition, Departments publish details of spend in excess of £25,000.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Air Travel

Michael Dugher: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many individual domestic air flights were undertaken within Great Britain by representatives of his Office in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what the cost to the public purse of such flights was.

Nicholas Clegg: Representatives of the Deputy Prime Minister’s office undertook 12 domestic air flights between 1 September 2012 and 1 September 2013 at a cost of £3,724.41.

Buildings

Michael Dugher: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what refurbishments to his Office's buildings have been carried out in the last 24 months; and at what cost.

Nick Hurd: The Deputy Prime Ministers Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 13 June 2013, Official Report, column 397W, to the hon. Member for Glasgow East (Margaret Curran).

Christmas Cards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much his private ministerial office spent on sending Christmas cards in 2012.

Nicholas Clegg: The Deputy Prime Minister’s Office spent £359.63 on purchasing 1,400 Christmas cards in 2012. Postage costs are administered centrally through the Cabinet Office.

Lobbying

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 800W, on lobbying, what meetings (a) he and (b) his officials have had with (i) those likely to be affected by his proposal for a statutory register of lobbyists and (ii) any other interested party.

Greg Clark: The Government introduced on 17 July a Bill to the House of Commons that provides for a Statutory Register of Lobbyists.
	Over the summer, the Government has engaged with a range of stakeholders. The Deputy Leader of the House of Commons, the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Tom Brake) and I co-chaired two roundtable events in July at which the content of the Bill was discussed. Representatives from the consultant lobbying industry as well as advocacy groups attended these events.
	Similarly, Cabinet Office have had discussions with both industry representatives and advocacy groups.
	I intend to continue to engage with interested parties as the Bill progresses through its parliamentary stages to ensure that the register will be a success.

Ministers' Private Offices

Michael Dugher: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many full-time equivalent staff of each civil service grade are currently employed in the private office of each Minister in his Office; and what the pay band of each such member of staff is.

Nicholas Clegg: There are 16 staff currently working in the Deputy Prime Minister’s private office, at the following grades:
	
		
			 Pay band Number 
			 SCS2 1 
			 SCSI 1 
			 Band A 4 
			 B2 2 
			 B1 2 
			 C 6 
		
	
	Officials are employed within Cabinet Office pay bands, and in some cases are entitled to a private office allowance in addition.

Press: Subscriptions

Michael Dugher: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which newspapers, periodicals and trade profession publications his private ministerial office subscribes to on a (a) daily, (b) weekly, (c) monthly and (d) quarterly basis.

Nicholas Clegg: The Deputy Prime Minister’s Office receives the following newspapers on weekdays:
	Financial Times;
	Guardian;
	Independent;
	Daily Mail;
	Daily Express;
	Daily Mirror;
	The Sun;
	The Times;
	Daily Telegraph.

Publications

Michael Dugher: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list (a) the title and subject, (b) total cost to his Department and (c) commissioned author or organisation of each external report commissioned by his Office in each year since 2010.

Francis Maude: The Deputy Prime Minister’s Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
	The Cabinet Office publishes all its own reports (dating back to 2002) on the gov.uk website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications
	Information on costs is not held in the format requested.
	This Government is committed to publishing digitally by default, to reduce the costs of publication, and to increase accessibility.

Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill

Hywel Williams: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what consultation he has held with the devolved legislatures on the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill.

Chloe Smith: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The Government introduced the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill on 17 July 2013 to the House of Commons.
	The Bill primarily concerns reserved matters, however the Minister for Political and Constitutional Reform wrote to the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive when the Bill was introduced, outlining the contents of the Bill.
	Part 3 of the Bill contains amendments to the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 which will apply in Scotland and Wales but not in Northern Ireland, where employment law is a devolved matter.
	The Government welcomes further discussions with the devolved Administrations.

Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill

Hywel Williams: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received from the Welsh Government on the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill.

Greg Clark: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The Government introduced the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill on 17 July 2013 to the House of Commons.
	The Minister for Political and Constitutional Reform wrote to the Welsh Government on 17 July to set out the main provisions of the Bill. The Welsh Government responded on 7 August, thanking the Minister. The Welsh Government has asked to be kept informed about any matters concerning them throughout the Bill's passage in Parliament.

Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill

Hywel Williams: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what formal assessment he has made of the potential impact of the provision of the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill on the functioning of civil society in the devolved nations.

Greg Clark: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The Government has published impact assessments to accompany the three parts of this Bill. The impact assessment of Part Two, Non-Party Campaigning, considers the impact on third parties in the whole of the United Kingdom.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Bahrain

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment has he made of the political situation in Bahrain and anti-government demonstrations in that country.

Hugh Robertson: We assess that the Bahraini Government remains committed to political dialogue and implementing the recommendations of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI). Although the Government of Bahrain has made progress in addressing the human rights concerns outlined in the BICI, more must be done to address the concerns fully. While we continue to urge the Bahraini Government to fully respect the rights of individuals to peaceful protest and freedom of expression, we understand the Government's concerns about maintaining law and order, especially when faced with increasingly violent protests. We expect protesters to ensure their rhetoric does not incite violence, and that they desist from violent or illegal acts.

Accountancy

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on accountants in each year since 2010.

David Lidington: The amount spent by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on fully qualified Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies accountants in the last three financial years was:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2010-11 1 
			 2011-12 1.7 
			 2012-13 1.7 
		
	
	This response relates to accountants working for the FCO in the UK only. Information regarding the cost of accountants working overseas is not held centrally, and could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

Air Travel

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many individual domestic air flights were undertaken within Great Britain by representatives of (a) his Department and (b) its associated public bodies in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what the cost to the public purse of each such flight was.

Hugh Robertson: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) are committed to ensuring that travel is as cost effective as possible. Where possible and appropriate, we encourage secure video-conferencing around the FCO network in a further effort to reduce the number of flights needed.
	The following costs are for bookings-through the FCO travel management company (Hogg Robinson Group plc) and do not include data for all bookings made through focal travel agencies, which would be available only at disproportionate cost. These figures include domestic legs of international journeys.
	In the period April 2012 to March 2013 there were 616 flights at a total cost of £61,196 made domestically within the United Kingdom, including our preparatory work for the UK-chaired G8 Summit at Lough Erne in Northern Ireland.
	Since 2011, the FCO has used a single supplier for all domestic travel. Prior to this, officers purchased tickets using their corporate credit cards or from their own funds and were reimbursed for actual costs. Much of this data is already published and available through the Government procurement card data which can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-procurement-card-data
	The FCO does not hold data for non-departmental public bodies. Details of their spend on domestic travel and hotel bookings can be seen in the answer of 25 April 2013, Official Report, column 1055W.

British Nationals Abroad

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how his Department assists British citizens in addressing overseas land disputes in other Commonwealth countries.

Mark Simmonds: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office consular policy on dealing with disputes worldwide (including in Commonwealth countries) is set out publicly in our booklet ‘Support for British Nationals Abroad: A Guide’. It states:
	“We cannot get involved in private disputes over property, employment, commercial or other matters because we are in no position to judge the facts and have no jurisdiction overseas to resolve such matters”.
	Many thousands of British Nationals are involved in civil and criminal disputes cases around the world every year and we have neither the resources nor the legal powers to help. While we do not engage on individual cases, we do consider raising ‘systemic’ issues by consulting national and local governments.

Buildings

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what refurbishments to his Department's buildings have been carried out in the last 24 months; and at what cost.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) maintains around 4.700 buildings in over 270 locations around the world. The FCO's Global Asset Management Plan for the estate, which includes all proposed major building renovations, is approved annually by the FCO Management Board. In the last 24 months, FCO HQ completed the following refurbishments to its buildings:
	Essential upgrade to Tel Aviv embassy for security and health and safety-requirements at a cost of AFC(1) £20.473,000,
	Refurbishment of redundant building and conversion to staff accommodation in Algiers at a cost of AFC £1,028,000.
	Reconfiguration of visa and consular sections to enable co-location by DFID in Accra at a cost of £437,000. This will save money in the long run as HMG will only incur the cost of running and maintaining one building.
	Remodelling of part of the consulate-general offices in New York at a cost of £230,000.
	Through the refurbishment and enlargement of the FCO crisis centre in King Charles Street, at a cost of AFC £1,959,000, the FCO have benefited from an enhanced crisis capability which has been fully used in dealing with recent events in Egypt and Syria.
	Refurbishment and conversion of office space in King Charles Street at a cost of AFC £6,484.126. This includes works in King Charles Street in preparation for the FCO's exit from Old Admiralty Building (OAB). The FCO will save £5 million per year when we move out of the OAB in 2015.
	Removal and reinstatement of light fittings in King Charles Street; Old Admiralty Building sub-ground floor refurbishment and new kitchen floor/ceiling lighting and units in Hanslope Park, at a cost of £20,000.
	(1) AFC: Anticipated final cost.
	There will have been other small refurbishments in overseas offices which will have been funded by the respective embassy and high commission budgets. To gather details on these would represent disproportionate cost.

Buildings

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many square metres of office space his Department (a) owns and (b) rents in London; and what the value is of that property.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office owns two office buildings in London; King Charles Street with a net internal area of 28.75 lm(2) and the Old Admiralty Building with a net internal area of 15,279m(2). A further building is leased; Lancaster House with a net internal area of 3,668m(2), which is partly used for offices.
	Valuations of individual buildings cannot be provided as this information is commercially sensitive.

Cameroon

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the government of Cameroon regarding recent reports about a number of Pentecostal churches being closed due to supposed safety concerns.

Mark Simmonds: I am pleased to say that the decision by the Ministry of Territorial Administration to close churches has been reversed by the Government of Cameroon. All those churches closed have now reopened their doors and we understand they are now functioning normally.

Canada

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to his Canadian counterparts on the effect on the UK music industry of the decision by the Canadian Government to impose a fee on employers who book international musicians in venues whose primary source of income is not music.

Hugh Robertson: We are concerned that the measure has the potential to restrict trade for UK musicians in Canada. We are aware that this issue has been raised with the Canadians by UK Music and we understand that this is being considered by the relevant Ministers in Ottawa.

Christmas Cards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his private ministerial office spent on sending Christmas cards in 2012.

David Lidington: The Private Office of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), paid £837.40 for official Christmas cards in 2012. These were sent to Foreign Ministers and other partners in the UK and overseas.

Cyprus

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in securing compensation for UK citizens who incurred losses as a result of property fraud and the default of Alpha Bank in Cyprus.

David Lidington: Many British and other nationals face property and banking problems in Cyprus and clearly for those who encounter such difficulties it is a very distressing experience. While the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is not able to engage on individual cases, we do raise “systemic” issues, by lobbying national and local governments. In the case of Cyprus, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), the British High Commissioner to Cyprus and I have all raised property disputes with the Government of Cyprus, including those linked with the Alpha Bank. We will continue to do so.
	Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Consular policy on dealing with property-disputes worldwide is set out publicly in our booklet “'Support for British Nationals Abroad: A Guide”.

Cyprus

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made on behalf of UK citizens who incurred losses as a result of property fraud and the default of Alpha Bank in Cyprus.

David Lidington: I raised property issues experienced by British nationals with the Cypriot Foreign Minister, Mr Ioannis Kasoulides, on 24 April during Mr Kasoulides' visit to the UK. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), also raised the subject when he met Mr Kasoulides on 17 June. Our High Commissioner in Cyprus raises property issues whenever there is an opportunity and most recently wrote to Mr Kasoulides on 20 September.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with (a) his Democratic Republic of Congo counterpart, (b) his Rwandan counterpart and (c) UN officials on the escalation of violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Mark Simmonds: My most recent discussions with my counterparts from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda and with UN officials were held in New York in the margins of the UN General Assembly from 23 to 27 September. In these, I outlined the importance of ending the conflict in eastern DRC, and of ensuring that there should be no impunity for human rights abusers.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with (a) the UN Special Envoy to the Great Lakes and (b) the World Bank on using the recent World Bank funding package to the region as an incentive for political negotiations between Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda.

Mark Simmonds: The UK is fully supportive of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework (PSCF) including the role economic development can play in securing lasting stability. As part of this, I have spoken to Mary Robinson about the situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, most recently in the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York from 23-27 September. In addition, we welcome the leadership role the World Bank is playing on economic development in the region and on the PSCF, including the first ever joint visit by the UN Secretary-General and the World Bank executive director in May.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that a regional approach is taken with regard to development and diplomatic decisions in the Great Lakes Region.

Mark Simmonds: I am fully supportive of the important roles being played by the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, the Southern African Development Community and the African Union and have made clear with interlocutors that a regional solution to the problems in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is necessary if lasting peace is to be secured.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage the Governments of Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda to resume peace talks.

Mark Simmonds: I have made clear to my Rwandan and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) counterparts in recent discussions that the UK is fully supportive of genuine efforts to secure a lasting peace in eastern DRC, and that full implementation of the Peace, Security and Co-operation Framework, led by the UN Special Envoy Mary Robinson, is needed to achieve this.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his (a) Democratic Republic of Congo counterpart, (b) his Rwandan counterpart and (c) officials at the UN on the recent violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Mark Simmonds: My most recent discussions with my counterparts from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda and with UN officials were held in New York in the margins of the UN General Assembly from 23-27 September. In these, I outlined the importance of ending the conflict in eastern DRC, and of ensuring that there should no impunity for human rights abusers.

EU External Trade

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the calls by the French Government asking the EU to ensure EU companies are protected in the current transatlantic trade talks; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) represents a real opportunity to provide a boost to the UK, US and European economies. The negotiations will be unprecedented in their breadth of coverage. The UK believes that we should approach these negotiations openly and ambitiously. Sensitive issues for both sides will be on the table, but we need to focus on the long-term benefits: £10 billion a year to the UK economy; the removal of trade barriers; and helping to set a liberal global trade agenda.

Georgia

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the situation in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

David Lidington: Georgia's conflicts with the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia remain unresolved. While both regions are different and challenging places, we continue to encourage all parties to the conflicts, including Russia, to work constructively towards a long-term settlement.
	South Ossetia faces real constraints on freedom of movement. The building offences along the disputed administrative boundary line is having a negative impact on many residents. I called in June for such activities to stop. The work of civil society is already difficult and proposed new 'foreign agent' legislation will make this more challenging for many organisations.
	Our assessment of the current situation in Abkhazia is that the population is experiencing increasing political instability as well as security restrictions. We welcome efforts by some members of society to champion tolerance and inclusivity. The British Government considers these regions to be part of Georgia. But we believe that the people living there should not be left in isolation. We continue to fund projects, concentrating on initiatives acceptable to all sides. We welcome the Georgian government's renewed willingness for engagement and encourage them to continue to reach out to these societies. We also call on the de facto authorities to seek areas where mutually beneficial cooperation is possible in the short term, while a longer term solution is pursued.

Mali

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many electoral observers from the UK were present at the recent elections in Mali.

Mark Simmonds: Two UK observers were appointed to the EU Election Observation Mission (EOM). In addition, UK diplomats joined the EOM to observe voting in Bamako on both election days (five on 28 July, and four on 11 August).

Mali

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Malian counterpart on setting an early date for legislative elections in that country.

Mark Simmonds: When I visited Mali earlier this month I met members of the new Government, including the Prime Minister and Minister for the North and National Reconciliation. I discussed with the Prime Minister the importance of holding early legislative elections. These, alongside renewed peace negotiations and a national process of dialogue and reconciliation, will be an important step in Mali's continued return to democracy. However, it will be important to ensure that sufficient time is allowed in preparing for the elections to make them well-organised, nationally inclusive and credible.

Ministers' Private Offices

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many full-time equivalent staff of each civil service grade are currently employed in the private office of each Minister in his Department; and what the pay band of each such member of staff is.

Hugh Robertson: The full-time equivalent staff of civil service staff (excluding special advisers) employed in each Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) ministerial office is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Pay band Number 
			 Foreign Secretary’s Office SMS2 1 
			  D6 3 
			  C5 1 
			  C4 2 
			  B3 4 
			  A2 7 
			    
			 Baroness Warsi’s Office D7 1 
			  C4 2 
			  B3 1 
			  A2 1 
			    
			 David Lidington’s Office D6 1 
		
	
	
		
			  C4 2 
			  B3 1 
			  A2 1 
			    
			 Hugo Swire’s Office D6 1 
			  C4 2 
			  B3 1 
			  A2 1 
			    
			 Hugh Robertson’s Office D6 1 
			  C4 2 
			  B3 1 
			  A2 1 
			    
			 Mark Simmonds’ Office D6 1 
			  C4 2 
			  B3 1 
			  A2 1 
			    
			 Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint’s Office B3 1 
			  A2 1 
		
	
	Lord Green is a joint Minister with BIS and his office is staffed from both Departments.
	The current FCO salary scales are shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Pay band Salary scales (£) 
			 A2 19,437 to 21,912 
			 B3 21,646 to 27,658 
			 C4 26,363 to 32,834 
			 C5 33,075 to 40,905 
			 D6 43,514 to 56,339 
			 D7 54,883 to 68,539 
			 SMS2 84,000 to 162,500

Press: Subscriptions

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which newspapers, periodicals and trade profession publications his private ministerial office subscribes to on a (a) daily, (b) weekly, (c) monthly and (d) quarterly basis.

David Lidington: The Private Office of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), subscribes to the following publications:
	(a)
	Daily Mail
	Financial Times
	The Guardian
	The Independent
	International Herald Tribune
	The Sun
	The Telegraph
	The Times
	(b)
	Economist
	Spectator
	There are no subscriptions to monthly or quarterly publications.

Public Relations

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department and its associated public bodies spent on (a) external public relations consultants and (b) public affairs consultants, in each of the past three years; and for what purposes such consultants were engaged.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has spent £300,000 per year since 2010 with Grayling PR on a campaign that aims to help British nationals have safe and trouble free trips abroad by keeping them informed of necessary travel preparations as part of the ‘Know Before you Go’ campaign.
	None of the FCO's arm’s length bodies or executive agencies have contracted public relations or public affairs consultants over the past three years.
	The Cabinet Office introduced the marketing and advertising freeze in 2010 which the FCO fully adheres to.

Publications

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list (a) the title and subject, (b) the total cost to his Department and (c) the commissioned author or organisation of each external report commissioned by his Department in each year since 2010.

David Lidington: Details of reports commissioned from external authors by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and its network of overseas posts are not held centrally. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Publishing

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent in each of the last three years on hard copy printing of documents for external audiences.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) annual report and accounts and the FCO's Annual Human Rights and Democracy report are published annually. The hard copy printing costs for the annual report for the last three years were: 2010-11: £2469.09 2011-12: £1596.76 2012-13: £1257.87 The hard copy printing costs for the Human Rights and Democracy Report were: 2010-11: £16.500 (including printing and hosting the launch). This was a 40% saving on the 2009 cost. 2011-12: £16,063 2012-13: £12,393. In 2011 the FCO published the Consular Strategy (2010-13). The hard copy printing cost was £20,000. The Consular Strategy (2013-15) has not been printed in hard copy. It is available through the FCO website at GOV.UK:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/consular-strategy
	The first set of reports in the review of the balance of competences between the EU and the UK were published in July 2013. The reports were published digitally on GOV.uk, along with the evidence received. However, a limited number were also printed in hardcopy for Parliament and for other key stakeholders. The cost was £6182.24.
	Figures for the total cost of printed documents used by all departments in the FCO and all our global network are not held centrally and could be collated only at disproportionate cost.

Russia

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Russian counterpart on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights in that country.

David Lidington: Human Rights, including lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender (LGBT) rights, are a regular feature of bilateral discussions with the Russian authorities. The Prime Minister raised concerns about the protection of human rights for LGBT people with President Putin in their bilateral meeting at the G20 summit on 6 September. He made clear the strength of feeling about the Russian law prohibiting the promotion of “non-traditional sexual relations” to minors, which has the potential to prevent LGBT people from fully enjoying the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the right hon. Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), discussed the issue again with Foreign Minister Lavrov at the UN General Assembly in New York on 25 September. The issue of LGBT rights was a key theme of the most recent Human Rights Dialogue with Russia in May this year. The Foreign Secretary and I regularly raise human rights with our counterparts and will continue to do so.

Satellite Broadcasting

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what subscriptions his Department has for premium satellite television channels; and what the cost of each such subscription was in the most recent year for which figures are available.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has not spent any money on premium satellite television channels in the UK; the Digital television system used by the FCO is provided through our support agreement with FCO Services. It has been in place for four years and all 70 channels available are free to air and are therefore subscription free.
	This does not capture subscriptions sourced locally overseas as it would incur disproportionate cost to obtain this information.

Security

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many departmental identity cards or passes have been reported lost or stolen by staff in his Department since May 2010.

David Lidington: Current Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) records for lost and stolen passes date back to July 2011. In those two years, 140 security passes for the FCO's UK estate have been recorded as lost or stolen. In all cases, the passes were deactivated immediately, to ensure they could not be used to enter FCO buildings.

Somalia

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had regarding the humanitarian situation in Somalia.

Justine Greening: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for International Development.
	I regularly discuss the humanitarian situation in Syria with international counterparts, including at the New Deal for Somalia Conference in Brussels on 16 September.

Standards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the reasons are for the time taken to publish his Department's Quarterly Data Summary for the second quarter of 2012-13 and the third quarter of 2012-13.

David Lidington: The Quarterly Data Summary (QDS) is published by the Cabinet Office. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) submits quarterly returns to the Cabinet Office, for publication on the GOV.UK website. The FCO has submitted all QDS returns on time.
	All the quarter two and quarter three QDS returns of all 17 Departments (including the FCO) participating in the QDS process were delayed owing to the development of the Cabinet Office's Government Interrogating Spending Tool (GIST). The GIST was developed in response to recommendations made in Dr Martin Read's independent report entitled 'Practical Steps to Improve Management Information in Government'. The GIST is an online tool that allows the public to access a breakdown of government expenditure through the Gov.UK website. It makes the process of accessing and analysing complex QDS and OSCAR data easier and quicker, and for these reasons was seen to justify a short delay in publishing QDS data.

Syria

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war in the conflict in Syria; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: According to the UN Commission of Inquiry (COI), sexual violence has been a persistent feature of the conflict. However, it is very difficult to get a true sense of the scale and impacts of the problem. This is due to the lack of available evidence. There is a broad consensus that underreporting due to cultural and religious sensibilities is the main reason for this lack of evidence.
	Despite this unusual set of issues and a lack of rigorous evidence, we do know that sexual violence affects women and girls and men and boys. Perpetrators involve both government and opposition forces. The COI suggests that sexual violence is being used more systematically by government forces and their militias than by opposition forces. Sexual violence is predominantly carried out during house searches, at checkpoints and during detention.
	In response to these growing accounts of sexual violence in Syria, the UK has directly funded two projects as part of PSVI, on the Syrian borders, to improve the capacity to document crimes of sexual violence. We are also training journalists to document human rights violations. These can be used for the future accountability process.
	The UK is supporting survivors of sexual and gender based violence including for example providing clinical care and case management for 12,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan. We are also providing support to affected households and strengthening confidential support networks for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. We work to ensure the needs of women and girls are specifically factored into humanitarian programmes, and continue to urge others to do so.

Television

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many flat screen televisions have been purchased by his Department in the last 24 months; and what the cost to the public purse was of such purchases.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is committed to ensuring the most cost-effective way to procure items; in all cases maximal value for money has been sought through competitive sourcing.
	In the past two financial years we have purchased 11 flat screen televisions through our support agreement with FCO Services at a cost of £2,924.00 total.
	Televisions bought by our overseas Posts (funded from each Post's individual administrative budget) and outside the agreement are not included as it would incur disproportionate costs to provide these data.

Trillium

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on contracts with Trillium Group in each year since 2008.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) did not have any contracts or spend with Trillium Group from 2010 to date. The current records system only goes back as far as 2010 and to obtain records prior to this would incur a disproportionate cost.

Western Sahara

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will (a) raise with the Moroccan Ambassador and (b) instruct the UK Ambassador to Morocco to investigate the circumstances in which a recent demonstration against the use by Morocco of natural resources in the Western Sahara was broken up with violence.

Hugh Robertson: We are aware of reports of a recent demonstration. The former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt) raised human rights issues in Western Sahara with the Moroccan ambassador and with his Moroccan counterpart during his trip to Rabat last month. He pressed the need for Morocco to respond to and act upon the reports from the Moroccan National Council of Human Rights (CNDH).

Western Sahara

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will (a) raise with the Moroccan Ambassador and (b) instruct the UK Ambassador to Morocco to investigate the circumstances in which a demonstration of unemployed Saharawi graduates in El Aaiun, Western Sahara on 31 August 2013 was broken up with violence.

Hugh Robertson: We are aware of reports of a recent demonstration. The former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt) raised human rights issues in Western Sahara with the Moroccan ambassador and with his Moroccan counterpart during his trip to Rabat last month. He pressed the need for Morocco to respond to and act upon the reports from the Moroccan National Council of Human Rights (CNDH).

Western Sahara

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Polisario has been consulted on the wishes of the Saharawi people in respect of the proposed new protocol to the EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement and the inclusion of waters off Western Sahara.

Hugh Robertson: The new Fisheries Partnership Agreement (FPA) with the Kingdom of Morocco was negotiated by the European Commission on behalf of the European Union. The FPA between the European Union and the Kingdom of Morocco has not yet been agreed. We expect the European Commission to publish proposals in the near future. Those proposals will be considered by both the Council and the European Parliament prior to adoption.

Western Sahara

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer of 26 November 2012, Official Report, column 104W, on Western Sahara, if he will request the European Commission to call on the government of Morocco to produce evidence that the EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement is conducted to the benefit of the Saharawi people when any extension of the Protocol to the Agreement is discussed.

Hugh Robertson: The Fisheries Partnership Agreement (FPA) between the European Union and the Kingdom of Morocco has not yet been agreed. We expect the European Commission to publish proposals in the near future. The agreement as initialled requires Morocco to report on the geographical distribution of European funds for structural support and infrastructure, and to include the impact on jobs and investment.

Yemen

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times he has (a) met and (b) had telephone conversations with the Yemeni Ambassador since January 2013.

Hugh Robertson: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has had no meeting or phone-calls with Ambassador Al-Rhadi since January 2013.
	The former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt), had a telephone conversation with Ambassador Al-Rhadi on 1 September, and also met Ambassador Al-Radhi on 4 September.

Yemen

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times he has (a) met and (b) had telephone conversations with the Yemeni Foreign Minister since January 2013.

Hugh Robertson: The Secretary of State for Foreign, and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), met Foreign Minister Al-Qirbi on 7 March in London, and on 25 September in New York.
	The former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt), had telephone conversations with Foreign Minister Al-Qirbi on 9 January, 6 August, and 2 September. He also met Yemeni Foreign Minister Al-Qirbi on 7 May, 9 September, and 25 September.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Accountancy

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has spent on accountants in each year since 2010.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) expenditure on accountants in each year since 2010 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 £(k) 
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 
			 DECC in-house 1,770 1,896 1,991 1,953 
			 Professional accountancy firms(1) 1,465 4,049 8,262 (2)2,511 
			 (1) Deloitte, Ernst and Young, KPMG, PWC (2) Up to end June 2013 
		
	
	The amounts shown above relate to qualified and part-qualified in-house staff. The cost is estimated and based on average salary costs.
	The amounts relating to external contractors will include the costs of accountants but will also include the costs of all other services provided, such as consultancy services, by these professional firms. Identifying the element that relates to accountants can be done only at disproportionate cost.

Air Travel

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many individual domestic air flights were undertaken within Great Britain by representatives of (a) his Department and (b) its associated public bodies in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what the cost to the public purse of each such flight was.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change is co-located in Aberdeen and London and the nature of its business necessitates frequent travel between the two offices. Air travel is considered to be the most efficient form of travel saving in both time (productivity) and money (travel subsistence minimised) but in accordance with departmental policy, is undertaken only after due consideration of business needs and only with prior authorisation. The number of individual air flights within Great Britain undertaken by Department of Energy and Climate Change representatives (including Ministers) in 2012-13 was (a) 668 for core-DECC at a cost of £148,000. This amount includes exchange/refunds valued at an amount of £3,000 but which are not readily attributable to specific flights.
	A table containing details of these flights will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
	In respect of (b) the Department's public bodies the number of flights was 1,072 at a cost of £163,000. Information on the breakdown of the flight details for the Department's NDPBs is only available, however, at disproportionate cost.

Buildings

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many square metres of office space his Department (a) owns and (b) rents in London; and what the value is of that property.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) does not own any property but rents space in three buildings in London. The value of these buildings is not known to the Department but the rental cost has been included below for information.
	3 Whitehall Place (whole building)—covers 8,768 square metres in total—Annual rental of approximately £4.3million
	55 Whitehall (whole building)—covers 1,710 square metres in total—Annual peppercorn rental of £1 (building is owned by the Crown Estate)
	1 Victoria Street (partial rental from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills—BIS)—part of one floor totalling 414 square metres—Annual rental of approx. £582,000 (which includes the DECC share of other building facilities such as Utilities etc.)

Buildings

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the expenditure on office refurbishment by (a) his Department and (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies in each year since 2010-11.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change and its NDPB's have spent the following on office refurbishments in this period:
	
		
			 DECC HO 
			 Item Cost (£) 
			 Creation of office 10,278.67 
			 Basement decoration works 2,778.05 
			 Various shower installations to improve facilities for cyclists etc 104,127.60 
			 Decoration works 10,064.04 
			 Carpet tile installation 3,141.43 
			 Decoration works 58,198.90 
			 Decoration works 11,913.52 
			 Kitchen replacements 68,806.01 
			 Flooring replacements 20,166.02 
			 Skirting and decoration 2,446.20 
			 Decoration works 10,826.52 
			 Various basement plant rooms floor painting 18,479.00 
			 Total 321,225.96 
		
	
	There was also one large-scale refurbishment in 2011 where the Department took over an Grade II Listed building at 55 Whitehall which needed full refurbishment and furniture. This came at a cost of £622,297.63.
	Civil Nuclear Police Authority
	2010 Culham Building F7 for relocation of the Training School from Cumbria to Oxfordshire to be collocated with HQ £44,894.00
	2011 Firearms Training Unit from Culham to Bisley to be collocated with the firing ranges £161,102.00
	2012 Firearms Training Unit Skills facility relocation from various sites to Aldershot to be in one location close to Bisley £52,108.00
	2013 Strategic Escort Group who were displaced from accommodation on Sellafield site and Divisional Command Team North from Sellafield to Greengarth Business Park Cumbria £88,331.00
	Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
	Eland House Refurbishment 2012/13 £428,646.44 (Dept for Communities and Local Government costs £279,121.18 Lambert Smith Hampton costs £149,525.26)
	Hinton House Refurbishment 2012/13 £513,617.43 (Spie Matthew Hall costs £390,041.00 MITIE costs £123,576.43) However NDA personnel only accounted for 20% of this cost which totalled £102,723.48, because it was part of the co-location with INS and therefore a joint project.
	Herdus House Refurbishment 2012/13 £153,877.75 (TSK Group costs £153,877.75)
	Committee on Climate Change
	£158,622.40 on the refurbishment of the first floor of 7 Holbein Place, SW1W 8NR in 2011.
	Coal Authority
	Office refurbishment costs incurred by the Coal Authority in the period since 2010-11 have been business case led and incurred to facilitate the relocation of Authority staff into a single open plan office at its freehold Head Office, freeing up office space for sub-let to tenants. An office refurbishment commenced March 2013 and was completed by July 2013 at a cost of £425,000 (£29,000 in 2012-13 and £396,000 in 2013-14).
	Following completion of tenancy agreements, to full site occupation, the authority derives an income of £270,000 pa, providing a contribution towards the cost of the refurbishment and ongoing operating costs.

Buildings

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the number of office relocations made by staff of (a) his Department and (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies (i) within the original building and (ii) to other buildings in each year since 2009-10; what the cost of (A) removals and (B) refurbishments related to such moves has been; and on how many occasions offices refurbished by his Department in that period have been used by his Department's staff for less than four years before a further move.

Gregory Barker: At the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) there have been two moves within the main HQ building (at 3 Whitehall Place) since the Department first took occupation of the building in 2009 (DECC was created in September 2008). This was to better locate staff according to required space and came at no cost on both occasions as internal porters were used from the existing facilities management contract and no disposals or refurbishments were required.
	In June 2011 the Department took over occupation of 55 Whitehall from previous Government tenants. This was to provide necessary extra space for a growth in staff numbers. The cost of preparing and refurbishing this circa 1900 Grade II Listed building, including the purchase of furniture was £622,297.63.
	In 2012, the Department also rented some floor space at the Department for Business Innovation and Skills to accommodate a policy team. The cost of this relocation was £92,899.83 which included subsequent relocations of staff throughout the HQ building.
	The Department has not yet moved staff from these locations in less than a four year period.
	The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority:
	Eland House refurbishment 2012/13 £428,646.44 (Department for Communities and Local Government costs £279,121.18 Lambert Smith Hampton costs £149,525.26)
	Hinton House refurbishment 2012/13 £513,617.43 (Spie Matthew Hall costs £390,041.00 MITIE costs £123,576.43) However NDA personnel only accounted for 20% of this cost which totalled £102,723.48, because it was part of the co-location with INS and therefore a joint project.
	Herdus House refurbishment 2012/13 £153,877,75 (TSK Group costs £153,877.75)
	The Committee on Climate Change (CCC), another of DECC's NDPB's has relocated once since 2009-10. This was part of the Government estate rationalisation programme. Following expiration of the lease, the CCC moved from premises in Victoria, to accommodation near Sloane Square which it currently shares with the Heritage Lottery Fund (an NDPB of DCMS). This move took place in June 2011. We have not yet been at the premises for four years; however, the current lease is until 2024.
	The costs associated with the move were as follows:
	(A) Relocation: £4,414.40
	(B) Refurbishment: £158,622.40
	The Civil Nuclear Police Authority:
	2009 Refurbishment of ACPO senior management offices to create an office for the CNPA chairman £19,900.00,
	2010 Culham Building F7 for relocation of the training school from Cumbria to Oxfordshire. This was so it would be collocated with HQ £44,894.00. Removal costs were £11,180.00
	2011 Firearms Training Unit from Culham to Bisley to allow for the increase in number of instructors and to be collocated with the firing ranges £161,102.00 There were no significant removal costs.
	2012 Firearms Training Unit Skills facility relocation from various sites to Aldershot to accommodate the increased amount of skills training required by all firearms officers and be in one location close to Bisley £52,108.00. There were no removal costs incurred for this project.
	2013 Strategic Escort Group who were displaced from accommodation on Sellafield site and Divisional Command Team North from Sellafield to Greengarth Business Park Cumbria £88,331.00. The removal costs are expected to be £1,000.00 this will take place in October 2013.
	¦None of these staff have been moved from these locations since.
	The Coal Authority:
	Office refurbishment costs incurred by the Coal Authority in the period since 2010-11 have been business case led and incurred to facilitate the relocation of authority staff into a single open plan office at its freehold Head Office, freeing up office space for sub-let to tenants. An office refurbishment commenced March 2013 and was completed by July 2013 at a cost of £425,000 (£29,000 in 2012-13 and £396,000 in 2013-14).
	Following completion of tenancy agreements, to full site occupation, the authority derives an income of £270,000 pa, providing a contribution towards the cost of the refurbishment and ongoing operating costs. Removal costs associated with relocating the authority's staff on-site were negligible, but are included within the quoted refurbishment costs above.
	The authority also confirms that it continues to occupy the refurbished accommodation.

Chris Huhne

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on how many occasions Mr Chris Huhne has been registered as a visitor to his Department's main building since February 2012.

Gregory Barker: We have no record of Chris Huhne having visited DECC since February 2012.

Coal: Wales

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households in (a) Wales and (b) Clwyd South constituency have received (i) concessionary coal and (ii) concessionary coal payments in each of the last 10 years.

Michael Fallon: The following tables show the total number of households in receipt of concessionary fuel under DECC's obligations for the National Concessionary Fuel Scheme, broken down into cash in lieu and fuel beneficiaries in the UK over the past 10 years (table 1) and Wales over the last three years (table 2).
	The entitlement management database used by the Department's contractor does not hold beneficiary information by constituency as it is not required for operational delivery of the scheme.
	
		
			 Table 1: Total number of beneficiaries in the UK over the past 10 years 
			 1 April Fuel Cash Total 
			 2003 45,289 86,869 132,158 
			 2004 37,901 86,725 124,626 
			 2005 31,589 86,162 117,751 
			 2006 27,187 84,266 111,453 
			 2007 23,623 81,105 104,728 
			 2008 20,658 77,821 98,479 
			 2009 18,304 73,802 92,106 
			 2010 16,338 70,135 86,473 
			 2011 14,410 66,194 80,604 
			 2012 12,802 62,259 75,061 
			 2013 11,574 58,845 70,419 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Number of beneficiaries in Wales over the past three years 
			 1 September CIL Fuel 
			 2011 9,236 1,941 
			 2012 8,718 1,783 
			 2013 8,116 1,600

Cycling

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what input his Department provided to the Department for Transport's response to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cycling report, Get Britain Cycling.

Gregory Barker: The Department did not provide any recorded input into this report.

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the projected cost of (a) the Energy Company Obligation, (b) the Renewables Obligation, (c) the EU Emissions Trading System, (d) the carbon floor price, (e) the warm home discount, (f) the feed-in tariff, (g) smart meters, (h) contracts for difference and (i) capacity payments to average household (i) gas, (ii) electricity and (iii) energy bills in each year to 2020.

Gregory Barker: The Government's latest assessment of the impact of climate change and energy policies on consumer energy bills was in March 2013.(1)( )This shows impacts for 2013, 2020 and 2030. Based on this report, the average costs of policies, as estimated at the time of the report, per household for 2013 and 2020 are set out in the following tables for gas, electricity and total energy bills.
	It should be noted that these tables show the costs associated with policies, however after accounting for energy efficiency savings, household bills are estimated to be 5% (£65) lower in 2013, and £11% (£166) lower in 2020 than they would be in the absence of energy and climate change policies.
	Since this report was published, cost estimates for a number of policies have been updated, for example in the Electricity Market Reform Draft Delivery Plan Impact Assessment.(2 )These updated cost estimates will be reflected in the next report on prices and bills.
	(1) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/estimated-impacts -of-energy-and-climate-change-policies-on-energy-prices-and-bills
	(2) https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-the-draft-electricity-market-reform-delivery
	
		
			 Table 1: Estimated impact of policies on average household gas, electricity and total energy bills in 2013. Impacts are shown in 2012 prices and as a percentage of each respective bill. 
			  Gas bill Electricity bill Total energy bill 
			 Policy £ % £ % £ % 
			 Energy Obligation Company 25 4 22 4 47 4 
			 Renewables Obligation — — 30 5 30 2 
			 EU Emissions Trading System — — 8 1 8 1 
			 Carbon Price Floor — — 5 1 5 0 
			 Warm Home Discount 6 1 6 1 11 1 
			 Feed-in Tariff — — 7 1 7 1 
			 Smart Meters (and Better Billing) 2 0 1 0 3 0 
			 Electricity Market Reform (Contracts for Difference and Capacity Payments) — — — — — — 
			 Note: These figures are based on household consumption after efficiency savings of 14.8 MWh of gas and 3.8 MWh of electricity. Source: DECC 2013—Figures may not add due to rounding. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Estimated impact of policies on average household gas, electricity and total energy bills in 2020. Impacts are shown in 2012 prices and as a percentage of each respective bill. 
			  Gas bill Electricity bill Total energy bill 
			 Policy £ % £ % £ % 
			 Energy Company Obligation 27 4 21 3 48 4 
			 Renewables Obligation — — 41 7 41 3 
			 EU Emissions Trading System — — 11 2 11 1 
			 Carbon Price Floor — — 32 5 32 2 
			 Warm Home Discount 6 1 5 1 11 1 
			 Feed-in Tariff — — 14 2 14 1 
		
	
	
		
			 Smart Meters (and Better Billing) 3 0 2 0 5 0 
			 EMR (Contracts for Difference)(1) — — 30 5 30 2 
			 (1) In the March 2013 prices and bills modelling there were no capacity market payments in 2020. The Electricity Market Reform (EMR) Draft Delivery Plan and Impact Assessment provide more up-to-date analysis of EMR impacts—this will be reflected in the next prices and bills report. Note: These figures are based on household consumption after efficiency savings of 14 MWh of gas and 3.03 MWh of electricity. Source: DECC 2013—Figures may not add due to rounding.

Energy: Ashfield

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the average annual energy bill for a typical family in Ashfield constituency in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: Energy bill data are only produced at regional level, and since Ashfield constituency is in the east midlands, energy bill estimates for that region have been provided.
	The following table shows the estimated average annual energy bill for customers in the east midlands over the last four calendar years. These are based on an assumed annual consumption of 3,300 kWh of electricity and 18,000 kWh of gas per year.
	
		
			  Average annual energy bill for the east midlands (£) 
			 2009 1,091 
			 2010 1,056 
			 2011 1,156 
			 2012 1,258 
		
	
	While it covers all consumer households in the region, the figures are typical of the energy bills paid by families. The bills shown are averages across the different methods by which customers can pay their bills (standard credit, direct debit and pre-payment meter).
	These estimates can be found in table 2.2.3 (electricity) and 2.3.3 (gas) of DECC's Quarterly Energy Prices publication:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/annual-domestic-energy-price-statistics
	Provisional estimates for average annual energy bills in 2013 will be published on 19 December 2013 in Quarterly Energy Prices.

Energy: Competition

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to open the energy market to greater competition.

Michael Fallon: Wider participation is key to a competitive market. The Government has already cut red tape for small suppliers to boost competition and action is being taken to address other barriers to entry. The Government is also giving statutory backing to Ofgem's Retail Market Review to introduce a range of reforms designed to increase consumer engagement and competitive pressure on suppliers.
	Low levels of wholesale market liquidity are acting as a barrier to entry to supply and generation markets. We support Ofgem's work in this area but are also taking powers in the Energy Bill to enable us to act if necessary. The Government is also working to strengthen routes to market for independent renewable developers and amendment has been made to the Energy Bill to enable the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey) to implement an 'off-taker of last resort' scheme.

EU Emissions Trading Scheme: Manufacturing Industries

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the impact of the Cross Sectoral Correction factor on the competitiveness of UK manufacturing sectors covered by the EU Emissions Trading System.

Gregory Barker: Under the European Commission's Decision on Member State's National Implementation Measures UK manufacturing sectors will receive over 510 million free allowances over the course of Phase III (2013-20), worth over £2.5 billion at the current allowance price of around €5/tCO2. This level of allocation is after application of the Cross Sectoral Correction Factor, which will be applied uniformly to non-electricity generating installations across the EU.
	The Government recognises the risk of carbon leakage within the EU ETS, and supports the proportionate free allocation of allowances as a tool to mitigate this, without raising barriers to international trade. However, we have expressed concern to the European Commission that those most at risk may not be compensated sufficiently in the future if current rules are not reformed to ensure that free allowances are better targeted to those sectors genuinely at significant risk. We continue to monitor and evaluate the impact of the EU ETS on the competitiveness of UK industry, and have commissioned research to investigate this issue further.

Garages and Petrol Stations

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he plans to take to support independent petrol retailers.

Michael Fallon: DECC published a report from Deloitte LLP in December 2012, which considered long-term changes to the retail market for road fuels in the UK. DECC continue to monitor the petrol retail market and are continuing to engage with the industry, including independent petrol retailers, on the findings of the report.
	In recognition of the impact that persistently high pump prices have on the cost of living and business costs, the 1.89ppl fuel duty increase that was planned for 1 September 2013 was cancelled. As a result of this, fuel duty has been frozen for nearly three and a half years, the longest duty freeze for over 20 years.
	This latest decision has built on previous actions to cut fuel duty, abolish the previous Government fuel duty escalator, introduce a fair fuel stabiliser (FFS) and scrap two increases planned by the previous Government.

Geothermal Power

Sarah Newton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when the Deep Geothermal Review Study, which he has commissioned from Atkins Global, will be published.

Gregory Barker: The Department is currently reviewing the Atkins Study. We aim to publish the study as soon as this review has been completed.

Heating

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many (a) solid wall insulation, (b) floor insulation, (c) boiler replacement and (d) central heating repairs have been carried out by energy companies as part of the (i) Home Heating Cost Reduction Obligation and (ii) Energy Company Obligation to date.

Gregory Barker: The provisional number of ECO measures installed up to end June 2013, by measure type and by the obligation category, including HHCRO, was in Table 4a in the latest monthly Green Deal/ECO statistical release, published on 20 August 2013:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/230138/Statistical_Release_-_Green_ Deal_and_Energy_Company_Obligation_in_Great_Britain_-_20_August_2013.pdf
	The same table, up to the end July 2013, will be included in the next monthly Green Deal/ECO statistical release which will be published on 19 September 2013.

Heating

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many energy companies offer (a) solid wall insulation, (b) floor insulation, (c) boiler replacement and (d) central heating repairs under the (i) Home Heating Cost Reduction Obligation and (ii) Energy Company Obligation.

Gregory Barker: All the measures referred to are potentially eligible under at least one of the sub-obligations within the Energy Company Obligation (ECO)—including the Home Heating Cost Reduction Obligation. However, within the rules of the scheme, what measures companies decide to make available and in what circumstances is a commercial matter for them.
	A detailed breakdown of specific measures delivered to date under ECO is available here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-energy-climate-change/series/green-deal-and-energy-company-obligation-eco-statistics
	This shows that to end-June 2013 there had been a total of:
	4,704 solid wall insulation measures;
	25,836 boiler replacements;
	181 central heating repairs.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to his answer of 6 March 2012, Official Report, column 686W, on Nuclear Decommissioning Authority: consultants, how much the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has spent on public affairs consultancy firms since March 2012.

Michael Fallon: This is a matter for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). I have asked the NDA to write to you directly, and a copy of this letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Older People: Weather

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to keep pensioners warm in winter.

Gregory Barker: The Government is committed to supporting older and vulnerable people keep warm and we have a strong package of policies which are already delivering assistance to those in need. These include the Energy Company Obligation and the Warm Home Discount. ECO is expected to generate investment worth around £540 million annually to fund efficient boilers and insulation measures to some 230,000 low income and vulnerable households, including pensioner households, each year.: This year, around 2 million households will get help under the Warm Home Discount—including an automatic electricity bill discount of £135 for over 1.1 million of the poorest pensioners. The Warm Home Discount scheme is worth £1.1 billion during this Parliament.
	The Government has also provided £900,000 to fund the creation of the ‘Big Energy Saving Network’ which will focus on helping consumers understand tariffs and switching options as well as how they could benefit from energy efficiency programmes available to them.
	As we approach winter, my officials are seeking opportunities to maximise the use of the Energy Saving Advice Service (ESAS—contact number 0300 123 1234), which provides a referral service for ECO affordable warmth. Plans are already-in motion to promote it through existing correspondence from the Department for Work and Pensions to qualifying benefit recipients, and DECC's communications to nearly 1.5 million pensioners in the Warm Home Discount Core Group.
	The Department of Health's Cold Weather Plan, supported by the Keep Warm Keep Well campaign, setting out a series of clear actions to minimise the health impact of severe winter weather on the elderly and vulnerable is due to be published in early November.
	Last winter, £2.15 billion of winter fuel payments were made to 12.5 million pensioners, providing very valuable support at a time of year when it is most needed.
	Cold weather payments are also made to the elderly and vulnerable during periods of very cold weather. Cold weather payments will remain at £25, for each qualifying period, for the duration of this administration.

Press: Subscriptions

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which newspapers, periodicals and trade profession publications his private ministerial office subscribes to on a (a) daily, (b) weekly, (c) monthly and (d) quarterly basis.

Gregory Barker: UK daily newspapers are purchased for the private ministerial office in DECC and are used by Ministers, special advisers and other staff to keep Ministers informed of news and comment on the DECC agenda. The office also has a subscription to the New Statesman, Economist and TheSpectator.
	The Department subscribes to energy and climate change periodicals and trade press, which may be passed to Ministers on some occasions, but Private Office does not subscribe to any of these.

Procurement

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department makes of the (a) payment of minimum wage, (b) payment of living wage and (c) use of zero hours contracts when tendering for public procurement contracts.

Gregory Barker: Zero hour contracts are not used within the Department. The terms and conditions of the Department ensure that it's contractors and their sub-contractors agree to a security vetting procedure, and to work within the laws of the United Kingdom. If the contractor fails to comply with these conditions and the authority decides that such failure is prejudicial to its interests, the authority may immediately terminate the contract by notice in writing to the contractor. In addition procurement procedures ensure that contracts are regularly managed to ensure that suppliers act responsibly to their employees.
	Procurement contracts of the Department are procured through Government Procurement Service framework agreements whenever possible. When this is not possible contracts are competed through the Cabinet Office website "Contracts Finder" or the Official Journal of the European Union. Procurement Procedures ensure that framework agreements are only set up at the point when the work is required.

Public Relations

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department and its associated public bodies spent on (a) external public relations consultants and (b) public affairs consultants, in each of the past three years; and for what purposes such consultants were engaged.

Gregory Barker: The following table shows public relations-type activities expenditure provided for the Department of Energy and Climate Change and its constituent bodies:
	
		
			 £(k) 
			 Period Company 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Core-DECC Freud1 — — 350 
			 NDPBs Luther Pendragon2 24 24 24 
			 1 External public relations consultants engaged to carry-out consumer research and marketing for the launch of the ‘Green Deal’ in 2013. 2 External public relations consultants commissioned to provide strategic communications advice.

Publications

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will list (a) the title and subject, (b) the total cost to his Department and (c) the commissioned author or organisation of each external report commissioned by his Department in each year since 2010.

Gregory Barker: The information requested is not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Travel

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department spent on travel for departmental officials in each of the last five years.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change's expenditure on travel is shown as follows:
	
		
			  £(k) 
			 2009-10 2,915 
			 2010-11 1,545 
			 2011-12 1,388 
			 2012-13 1,193 
			 Q1 2013-141 161 
			 1 Up to 30 June 2013 
		
	
	The figures shown may include an element of subsistence which cannot be separately identified without incurring disproportional cost.

Trillium

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has spent on contracts with Trillium Group in each year since 2008.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not have any contracts with the Trillium Group, and has not had in any year since 2008.

JUSTICE

Departmental Procurement

Tom Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department is taking to improve the way in which it procures services.

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice is fully committed to the Government Procurement Reform. We are developing plans to transfer non strategic contracts to the newly created Crown Commercial Service thereby allowing our professionally trained staff to focus on the delivery of our strategic requirements.

Vulnerable Victims

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to protect vulnerable victims.

Damian Green: For too long victims have felt intimidated and confused by a system that treated them as an afterthought. This Government is committed to putting victims first and we will give them a voice at every stage of the criminal justice system. To do this we are:
	Launching a new Victims' Code
	Testing pre-trial cross-examination
	Looking at how we might reduce the distress caused to victims by multiple cross-examination in court
	Making up to £100 million available to support victims.

Abduction Notices

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many abduction notices have been served in each English police force area in each year since the legal provisions for such action were introduced.

Damian Green: holding answer 13 September 2013
	I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	Data on abduction notices is not collated centrally. It is a matter for each police force to use such notices as is appropriate to an investigation.

Children: Abuse

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress his Department has made in its review of the criminal law on child neglect; and if he will report the findings of that review to the House before Second Reading of the Child Maltreatment Bill.

Damian Green: I have asked my officials to undertake a targeted consultation with the relevant experts to explore the adequacy of the existing offence of child cruelty.
	I have asked them to report to me before the end of the year.

Corruption

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what consideration he has given to reviewing the ban on facilitation payments under the Bribery Act 2010.

Damian Green: The Government is not considering a review of the ban on facilitation payments under the Bribery Act 2010.

Dorchester Prison

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the total cost was of the new Healthcare Unit at HMP Dorchester;
	(2)  when the commissioning process for the new Healthcare Unit at HMP Dorchester began;
	(3) when the new Healthcare Unit at HMP Dorchester was opened.

Jeremy Wright: The total cost of the new healthcare unit at HMP Dorchester was £1,823,270.
	The commissioning process for the healthcare unit began on 10 August 2011 and the unit was opened on 3 June 2013. Due to the nature of the construction, the unit is capable of being completely transferred to a new location.
	The Department needs to modernise the estate to provide prison capacity at much lower cost and in the right places to deliver our ambition of reducing reoffending. That is why MOJ are replacing older accommodation that is expensive to run with newer, cheaper and more efficient accommodation that will provide better value for money.

Driving Offences: Disqualification

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many people convicted of driving whilst disqualified had been convicted of the same offence within the previous 10 years in each year since 2000;
	(2)  how many people given a custodial sentence for driving whilst disqualified had been convicted of the same offence within the previous 10 years in each year since 2000;
	(3)  how many people have been given multiple custodial sentences for driving whilst disqualified since 2000.

Jeremy Wright: Sentencing is entirely a matter for our independent courts, which must follow sentencing guidelines. The maximum penalty for driving while disqualified is six months' imprisonment and/or a level 5 fine (£5,000). The offender's licence must also be endorsed and either six penalty points imposed or the offender will be disqualified for a further period. Recent and relevant convictions are a statutory aggravating factor in sentencing and will make the sentence more severe, within the maximum penalty provided for. The court also has a power to deprive the offender of the vehicle used for the purpose of committing the offence.
	Table 1 shows the number of offenders convicted of driving while disqualified in each year since 2000 with previous convictions for the same offence within the previous 10 years.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of offenders1 sentenced for driving while disqualified in each year since 2000 and with previous convictions for the same offence within the previous 10 years 
			  Total number of offenders sentenced for driving while disqualified Number of offenders convicted for the same offence within the previous 10 years Percentage 
			 2000 23,464 12,894 55.0 
		
	
	
		
			 2001 25,017 13,796 55.1 
			 2002 27,167 15,115 55.6 
			 2003 31,782 17,693 55.7 
			 2004 30,795 16,922 55.0 
			 2005 27,221 14,699 54.0 
			 2006 23,197 12,235 52.7 
			 2007 19,474 9,838 50.5 
			 2008 15,451 7,695 49.8 
			 2009 12,498 5,897 47.2 
			 2010 9,755 4,374 44.8 
			 2011 8,300 3,666 44.2 
			 2012 7,330 3,107 42.4 
			 1 Figures are counts of sentence occasions. An individual offender may be counted multiples times if he or she has been sentenced more than once during the period. Source: Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	Table 2 shows the number of offenders sentenced to an immediate custodial sentence for driving while disqualified in each year since 2000 with previous convictions for the same offence within the previous 10 years.
	
		
			 Table 2: Number of offenders1 sentenced to custody for driving while disqualified in each year since 2000 and have been convicted for the same offence within the previous 10 years. 
			  Total number of offenders given a custodial sentence for driving while disqualified Number of offenders convicted to an immediate custodial sentence for driving while disqualified and have been convicted for the same offence within the previous 10 years Percentage 
			 2000 11,048 8,095 73.3 
			 2001 11,925 8,709 73.0 
			 2002 12,333 9,334 75.7 
			 2003 13,833 10,837 78.3 
			 2004 12,082 9,750 80.7 
			 2005 10,072 8,189 81.3 
			 2006 7,735 6,265 81.0 
			 2007 5,927 4,843 81.7 
			 2008 4,775 3,824 80.1 
			 2009 3,744 2,882 77.0 
			 2010 2,654 2,022 76.2 
			 2011 2,290 1,722 75.2 
			 2012 1,887 1,367 72.4 
			 1 Figures are counts of sentence occasions. An individual offender may be counted multiples times if he or she has been sentenced more than once during the period. Source: Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	Table 3 shows the number of offenders1 sentenced for driving while disqualified in each year since 2000 and also shows the number of offenders with multiple immediate custodial sentences given for the same offence over the entire criminal history of the offender, rather than the previous 10 years.
	
		
			 Table 3: Total number of offenders1 sentenced for driving while disqualified in each year since 2000 with multiple convictions for the same offence where an immediate custodial sentence was given 
			  Total number of offenders sentenced for driving while disqualified Number of offenders with multiple immediate custodial convictions for driving while disqualified Percentage 
			 2000 23,464 8,312 35.4 
			 2001 25,017 8,875 35.5 
			 2002 27,167 9,754 35.9 
			 2003 31,782 11,245 35.4 
			 2004 30,795 10,691 34.7 
			 2005 27,221 8,991 33.0 
			 2006 23,197 7,313 31.5 
			 2007 19,474 5,657 29.0 
			 2008 15,451 4,453 28.8 
			 2009 12,498 3,343 26.7 
			 2010 9,755 2,417 24.8 
			 2011 8,300 2,057 24.8 
			 2012 7,330 1,708 23.3 
			 1 Figures are counts of sentence occasions. An individual offender may be counted multiples times if he or she has been sentenced more than once during the period. Source: Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	Multiple custodial sentences have been defined as offenders who have more than one custodial sentence over the entire criminal history of the offender; this includes offenders where the current sentence given in each year is not an immediate custodial sentence.
	These figures have been drawn from the police's administrative IT system, the police national computer, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.

Legal Aid Scheme

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made, and on what evidential basis, of the cost implications arising from his Transforming Legal Aid proposals, of (a) lawyers having to investigate compliance with the residence test in all civil legal aid cases and (b) the likelihood of an increase in time spent in immigration detention by people who cannot satisfy the residence test; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: The Government has carefully considered the responses to the consultation “Transforming Legal Aid: Delivering a more credible and efficient system” and has published the response “Transforming Legal Aid: Next Steps” available along with an updated impact assessment at:
	https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/transforming-legal-aid-next-steps
	We continue to believe that in principle, individuals should have a strong connection to the UK in order to benefit from the civil legal aid scheme and that the residence test we have proposed is a fair and appropriate way to demonstrate that connection.
	Therefore we will proceed with our proposal that applicants for civil legal aid will need to be lawfully resident in the UK, Crown Dependencies or British Overseas Territories at the time they apply and have resided there lawfully for a continuous period of at least 12 months in the past.
	In addition to exceptions previously proposed for serving members of Her Majesty's armed forces and their immediate families and asylum seekers, as set out in more detail in paragraph 125/6 and 7 of Annex B of “Transforming Legal Aid: Next Steps” the residence test will not apply in certain categories of cases for which civil legal aid is currently available. These are cases broadly relating to an individual's liberty, or where the individual is particularly vulnerable or where the case relates to the protection of children. In addition, we are making limited exceptions for certain cases to enable individuals to continue to access legal aid to judicially review certifications by the Home Office under sections 94 and 96 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002. Further, children under the age of 12 months will not need to have resided lawfully in the UK, Crown Dependencies or British Overseas Territories for a continuous period of at least 12 months in the past. However, such children would still need to be lawfully resident at the time of application for civil legal aid.
	We continue to believe it is reasonable to expect providers to carry out the test. It is our intention that the test will be objective and not overly onerous to administer. Further details on how compliance with the test will need to be demonstrated will be set out in secondary legislation and guidance as appropriate so that the requirements are clear and providers will be clear on what is required of them.
	In addition, anybody excluded from civil legal aid as a result of the residence test will be entitled to apply for exceptional funding under the power set out in section 10 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) including applications for services described in part 1 of schedule 1 to LASPO from which the individual has been excluded as a result of the residence test.

Legal Aid Scheme

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many applications for exceptional funding have been (a) received and (b) approved by the Legal Aid Agency since 1 April 2013.

Jeremy Wright: At around £2 billion a year we have one of the most expensive legal aid systems in the world. We are reforming legal aid so it remains available to those that need it most while getting better value for the hard-working taxpayers that fund it.
	As of 12 September 2013, the Legal Aid Agency has received 664 applications for exceptional funding (of which 596 have been processed) and approved exceptional funding in 11 cases.
	The exceptional funding scheme ensures the protection of an individual's rights to legal aid under the European Convention on Human Rights, as well as those rights to legal aid that are directly enforceable under European Union law.

Nature Conservation: Crime

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress has been made by (a) the Sentencing Council and (b) the Magistrates' Association on the introduction of sentencing guidelines in relation to wildlife crime offences.

Jeremy Wright: Tough maximum penalties, including prison sentences are available for wildlife crimes. Sentencing Guidelines are produced by the sentencing council which is independent from Government. The introduction of any guidelines for wildlife crime offences are a matter for the council.

Northallerton Prison

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many (a) adult prisoners and (b) young offenders currently in HM Prison-Young Offenders' Institution Northallerton were previously resident in (i) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency, (ii) the Tees Valley, (iii) the North East and (iv) North Yorkshire;
	(2)  what effect the closure of HM Prison-Young Offenders' Institution Northallerton will have on levels of unemployment in (a) Teesside and (b) North Yorkshire;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the effect of closing HM Prison-Young Offenders' Institution Northallerton on prison populations in the North East of England;
	(4)  what the (a) operational capacity and (b) current population is of each prison in (i) Yorkshire and Humber and (ii) the North East of England.

Jeremy Wright: The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), announced on 4 September 2013 the next steps to modernise the prison estate so that we always have enough prison places for those sentenced by the courts but at much lower cost and in the right places to deliver our ambitions for reducing our stubbornly high reoffending rates.
	The Government is doing this through a significant programme of replacing accommodation which is old, inefficient or has limited long-term strategic value and by reshaping the rest of the prison estate so that we are able to release offenders closer to home which we know improves their resettlement and reduces reoffending.
	Table 1 details the number of adults and young offenders who were held in HM Prison and Young Offender Institution Northallerton on 30 June 2013 who were previously resident in (1) the Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency, (2) the Tees Valley region, which is interpreted as including the four local of authorities of Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees, (3) the North East and (4) North Yorkshire.
	
		
			 Table 1: Data as at 30 June 2013 
			  18-20 21 and over—Adult Total 
			 (1) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland Constituency 0 2 2 
			 (2) Tees Valley Region1 0 11 11 
			 (3) National Offender Management Service (NOMS) North East Region2 2 27 29 
			 (4) North Yorkshire 5 40 45 
			 1 The constituency of Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland is included in the Tees Valley region. Tees Valley region is made up of the four local authorities of Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton- on-Tees. 2 Tees Valley region is included in the NOMS North East Region. 
		
	
	Information on prisoners' residences is provided by prisoners when being processed on arrival into prison and recorded on a central IT system. Addresses can include a home address, an address to which offenders intend to return on discharge or next of kin address and these figures are provided in the answer.
	If no address is given, an offender's committal court address is used as a proxy for the area in which they are resident. These figures are also included in the answer. No address has been recorded and no court information is available for around 3% of all offenders, these figures are excluded from the answer.
	We have successfully managed previous prison closures to avoid compulsory redundancies. We will aim to achieve this again, either through redeploying staff or offering voluntary early departures. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) will continue to work with the relevant agencies to mitigate the effects of Northallerton's closure.
	The decision to close prisons will only be taken if population levels mean that they can be managed without undermining our ability to hold all those committed to custody by the courts. There is currently unused capacity in the North East and Yorkshire and Humberside regions. NOMS will allocate prisoners currently in Northallerton to other prisons according to their security categorisation, offending behaviour needs and closeness to home.
	Table 2 shows the information for the operational capacity and the prison population of each prison in the NOMS Yorkshire and Humberside region and the NOMS North East region as published on 26 July 2013, which can also be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prison-population-figures
	
		
			 Table 2: 
			 Region Prison Operational capacity Population 
			 North East Durham 990 873 
			  Deerbolt 513 420 
			  Frankland 808 782 
			  Holme House 1,210 1,083 
			  Kirklevington Grange 283 278 
			  Low Newton 344 272 
			  Northumberland 1,348 1,335 
			 North East total  5,496 5,043 
			     
			 Yorkshire and Humberside Askham Grange 128 99 
			  Doncaster 1,145 1,127 
			  Everthorpe 689 675 
			  Full Sutton 616 588 
			  Hatfield 266 255 
			  Hull 762 745 
			  Leeds 1,212 1,170 
			  Lindholme 930 917 
			  Moorland 1,006 988 
			  New Hall 425 363 
			  Northallerton 252 241 
			  Wakefield 749 737 
			  Weal stun 832 822 
			  Wolds 360 348 
		
	
	
		
			  Wetherby 276 248 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside total  9,648 9,323 
		
	
	All data has been drawn from administrative IT systems, which as with any larger-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prison Sentences

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of custodial sentences have been served in full on average in each of the last 20 years.

Jeremy Wright: All custodial sentences are served as set out in the relevant legislation. Parliament has consistently determined that custodial sentences should be served part in prison and part in the community and all custodial sentences are served to the full extent required under the legislation.
	People who commit serious crimes are now more likely to be convicted and sent to prison for longer than they were a decade ago. This Government has also introduced a tough new regime for dangerous offenders which will see more of them given life sentences, and others spending long periods in prison—all will serve at least two-thirds of their custodial term and some will serve the full custodial term—and being supervised for long periods after their release. In addition, we have introduced provisions in the Offender Rehabilitation Bill which will ensure that all sentenced offenders leaving prison, including those sentenced to less than 12 months in custody, will now spend a minimum of 12 months being supervised and rehabilitated in the community.

Prisoners

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people are enrolled in each offender behaviour programme in prisons in England.

Jeremy Wright: During 2012-13, there were a total of 12,374 offender behaviour programme starts in prisons in England and Wales.
	The following table shows the number of programme starts in each category of programme during 2012-13.
	
		
			 Number of accredited programme starts, 2012-13 
			 Programme type Number 
			 Domestic Violence 252 
			 General Offending 6,001 
			 Sex Offending 1,077 
			 Substance Misuse 3,748 
			 Violence 1,296 
			 Total 12,374 
		
	
	The figures cover England and Wales in line with the National Offender Management Service’s responsibilities for prisons in both.
	Figures on starts and completions for offender behaviour programmes are published annually in the “Accredited Programmes Annual Bulletin”, available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/225196/accredited-programmes-annual-bulletin-2012-13.pdf
	Offending behaviour programmes are not the only form of intervention. Offending can also be addressed by supervision and multi-agency monitoring after release, by use of medication where appropriate, and by cognitive skills training.
	The information provided has been drawn from an administrative data system, and although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.

Prisoners: Freedom of Information

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many freedom of information requests have been submitted by prisoners in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: The number of freedom of information requests submitted by prisoners is as follows:
	2012: 91 requests.
	2013: 130 requests to date.
	No data is held for the period before 2012.

Prisoners: Pets

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners keep a pet in prison.

Jeremy Wright: Governors currently produce a facilities list, which sets out the items prisoners are allowed to possess, for their own establishments. Under changes to the Incentives and Earned Privileges (IEP) national policy framework which come into effect from 1 November 2013, a centralised facilities list will be introduced. This will help ensure that prisons operate to a consistent standard when rewarding prisoners for engaging with efforts to rehabilitate them and positive behaviour. The list will be available for each Governor to select from, as considered suitable for the specific population, the physical fabric and the regime of the prison.
	In establishments where the Governor permits, prisoners on the highest level of the IEP scheme will be allowed to possess a bird in cell. To reach the highest level of the scheme, prisoners will have to demonstrate that they are fully committed to their rehabilitation, seeking to reduce their risk of reoffending, complying with the regime and meeting expected behaviour levels. In addition, they must demonstrate that they have helped other prisoners or staff.
	NOMS does not record centrally the number of prisoners who keep a pet in prison. To identify these prisoners would require examining and collating personal records from individual establishments and this would incur disproportionate costs.

Prisons

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what capital expenditure projects his Department commissioned at (a) HMP Blundeston, (b) HMP Dorchester, (c) HMP Northallerton and (d) HMP Reading in each of the last five years; what the cost of each such project was; and if he will make a statement. [Official Report, 18 December 2013, Vol. 572, c. 11MC.]

Jeremy Wright: The following table shows the centrally-funded capital expenditure projects commissioned at HMP Blundeston, HMP/YOI Dorchester, HMP/YOI Northallerton and HMP/YOI Reading in each of the last five years and their cost. As at 6 September 2013 there have been no projects in those prisons in 2013/14. The total projected maintenance requirements for the four prisons over the next five years would have amounted to £17 million.
	The Department needs to modernise the estate to provide prison capacity at much lower cost and in the right places to deliver our ambition of reducing re-offending. That is why MoJ are replacing older accommodation that is expensive to run with newer, cheaper and more efficient accommodation that will provide better value for money.
	
		
			 Year/Establishment Project title Total (£) 
			 2012/13:   
			 HMP/YOI Dorchester Healthcare Unit 1,823,270 
			 HMP/YOI Reading Fire Alarm Upgrade 1,144,946 
			 2011/12:   
			 None — — 
			 2010/11:   
			 HMP Blundeston Replace Perimeter Intrusion Detection System (PIDS) 1,774,311 
			 HMP/YOI Dorchester New Healthcare (cancelled scheme) 881,454 
			 HMP Blundeston Pipework and pumps 3,417,550 
			 2009/10:   
			 HMP Blundeston Relocation/Expansion of laundry 2,450,457 
			 2008/09:   
			 HMP Blundeston Repair/Replace roofs to B and D wings 420,891 
			 Note: The fire alarm upgrade at Reading began over a year before the decision to close the prison was taken and was initiated on recommendation from a fire safety inspection by the Crown Premises Inspection Group (CPIG). Due to the modular design of the new health care centre at Dorchester, commissioned in August 2011, it will be relocated to another part of the prison estate.

Prisons

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the ongoing maintenance programme costs at (a) HMP Blundeston, (b) HMP Dorchester, (c) HMP Northallerton and (d) HMP Reading will be in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: The table shows the identified maintenance projections for the next five years at each of the prisons. The total projected maintenance requirements for the four prisons over the next five years would have amounted to just over £17 million.
	The information is taken from Custodial Asset Investment Planning Tool (CAIP) which does not record the operational effectiveness or the suitability of the environment at the prison. As announced by the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), on 4 September, these prisons will be closed in the early part of 2014 and therefore most of these works are no longer required, except where maintenance is essential.
	The Department needs to modernise the estate to provide prison capacity at much lower cost and in the right places to deliver our ambition of reducing reoffending. That is why the MOJ are replacing older accommodation that is expensive to run with newer, cheaper and more efficient accommodation that will provide better value for money.
	
		
			 Establishment Year Total (£) 
			 HMP Blundeston 1 416,615 
			  2 901,911 
			  3 786,283 
			  4 957,948 
			  5 1,356,996 
			 Total  4,419,753 
			    
			 HMP/YOI Dorchester 1 394,171 
			  2 517,562 
			  3 412,216 
			  4 1,658,806 
			  5 991,599 
			 Total  3,974,354 
			    
			 HMP/YOI Northallerton 1 91,953 
			  2 62,584 
			  3 206,592 
			  4 914,941 
			  5 1,747,758 
			 Total  3,023,828 
			    
			 HMP/YOI Reading l 856,869 
			  2 1,627,980 
			  3 264,426 
			  4 1,949,374 
			  5 1,281,046 
			 Total  5,979,695

Prisons

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what plans his Department has to replace prison places that will be lost following the closure of prisons at (a) Blundeston, (b) Dorchester, (c) Northallerton, (d) Reading and (e) Dartmoor;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of the availability of prison places;
	(3)  what recent assessment he has made of overcrowding in prisons;
	(4)  what measures his Department is taking to increase the number of prison places and reduce overcrowding in prisons.

Jeremy Wright: The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), announced on 4 September 2013, Official Report, column 24W, the next steps to modernise the prison estate so that we always have enough prison places for those sentenced by the courts but at much lower cost and in the right places.
	In January this year we announced we will open an additional 1,260 places in four new houseblocks. The first one at HMP The Mount, is on track to accept prisoners in September 2014. In addition we will open 180 new places at HMP and YOI Rochester and HMP Bure this year. We have also announced the construction of, subject to planning permission, a new prison at the former Firestone site in Wrexham, which will offer around 2,100 places and will be fully operational from late 2017. It is our aim to have more adult male prison capacity in May 2015 than there was at the start of this Parliament.
	Because of the new capacity coming on stream we are now in a position to close four prisons (HMPs Blundeston, Dorchester, Northallerton and Reading), removing 1,400 uneconomic places from the estate. The changes form part of plans to save over £500 million from the costs of running prisons by the end of this Spending Review period.
	In 2012/13 the average number of prisoners held in accommodation which had originally been designed for fewer occupants decreased to 23.3% of the total population compared to 24.1% in 2011/12. Two of the prisons being closed (Dorchester and Northallerton) are operating at significant levels of crowding.

Prisons: Employment

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners currently serving a custodial sentence work outside prison.

Jeremy Wright: As stated in my answer to the hon. Gentleman's accompanying question (under reference 167032) on the subject of Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) the Department is conducting a review of the policy and processes on ROTL and, as part of that review, we are considering the availability and quality of data.

Prisons: Employment

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were employed in prisons in England in each of the last 10 years; and how many people he expects to be so employed in May 2015.

Jeremy Wright: The response to the question provides the number of staff employed in public sector prisons in England on a full-time equivalent (FTE) basis at the end of each financial year in the past ten years, from 31 March 2004 to 31 March 2013, and the forecast FTE number of staff employed in public sector prisons in England as at 31 May 2015.
	
		
			 Table: Staff in post FTE in public sector prisons in England 
			 As At 31 March each year Staff in post FTE 
			 2004 43,710 
			 2005 44,090 
			 2006 44,400 
			 2007 44,660 
			 2008 45,350 
			 2009 46,010 
			 2010 44,280 
			 2011 43,210 
			 2012 40,040 
			 2013 37,560 
			 Note: Staffing figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 
		
	
	The number of people forecast to be employed in public sector prisons in England as at 31 May 2015 is 30,500 FTE.
	Annual staffing figures are provided for the end of the financial year as this is the date used in publications for annual comparisons. Figures are provided on an FTE basis for public sector prisons for comparability with forecast figures, which are for public sector prisons only on an FTE basis.
	During the period, some prisons have transferred into the private sector. For example, on 1 October 2011, HMP Birmingham transferred into the private sector, along with 610 staff FTE. Consequently year on year comparisons should be treated with caution.
	Deployment of prison officers will continue at a level that maintains safe, decent and secure establishments whilst providing the best value for money.

Prisons: Internet

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners have facilities for accessing the internet from (a) their cell and (b) other prison premises.

Jeremy Wright: Access by prisoners to the internet presents a serious threat to security and is therefore subject to tight restrictions.
	National Offender Management Service policy is that prisoners may not be permitted access to the internet from their cells. Where risk assessment criteria are satisfied, however, access may be permitted to pre-approved websites in a managed classroom environment for rehabilitative purposes.
	Very restricted access to the internet is provided at most prisons via a secure online learning and support system entitled "Virtual Campus". Virtual Campus is a partnership initiative between NOMS and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills that allows prisoners closely controlled and fully monitored access to a limited range of selected internet-based learning and employment related material via a small number of approved websites.
	A central record is not held of the number of prisoners that have access to the internet in the secure circumstances described and a figure could only be provided at disproportionate cost by collating the relevant information from records held locally by individual prisons, where available.

Prisons: Swimming Pools

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 17 July 2013, Official Report, column 731W, on prisons: swimming pools, 
	(1)  what consideration he has given to the removal of the swimming pools in HM Prison Holloway and HM Prison Stanford Hill;
	(2)  how much on average local groups are charged for the use of the swimming pools.

Jeremy Wright: The swimming pool at HMP Holloway is not used by local groups. The swimming pool at HMP Standford Hill is used by local groups without charge. We are looking into the possibility of introducing a nominal charge but no decisions have yet been made.
	There are no plans at present to remove the swimming pool in either HM Prison Holloway or HM Prison Standford Hill. The swimming pool at HMP Standford Hill is used by local group, including swimmers with disabilities, when it is not being used by prisoners and is seen as a valuable resource for the local community. The swimming pool at HMP Holloway provides a valuable resource to engage women in health promoting activity and is of particular importance for women who have disorders which mean they are unable to take part in the prisons mainstream regime.

Prisons: Swimming Pools

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 17 July 2013, Official Report, column 731W, on prisons: swimming pools, how many recorded incidents there have been in the swimming pool area of (a) HMP Holloway and (b) HMP Stanford Hill in each of the last three years; and what those incidents were.

Jeremy Wright: There have been no recorded incidents in the swimming pool of HMP Holloway in the last three years (b) There have been two recorded health and safety incidents which resulted in minor injuries to prisoners in the swimming pool area of HMP Standford Hill in the last three years; one in 2012 and one in 2013.

Prisons: Television

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of prison cells in England and Wales were equipped with a television in each of the last three years.

Jeremy Wright: Information relating to the number of prison cells equipped with televisions is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by manual checking with individual establishments.
	Access to in-cell television is a key earnable privilege under the Incentives and Earned Privileges (IEP) policy framework, in-cell television is entirely self-financing from the rental payments made by prisoners and is a forfeitable privilege. Under changes to the IEP policy framework which will come into effect from 1 November, prisoners will have to work towards their own rehabilitation, behave well and (to reach the highest privileges level) help others. Prisoners who do not cooperate with the prison regime or engage in their rehabilitation sufficiently will move to basic level and stay there until they do. In-cell television is not available at "Basic" level. Prisoners will also not be allowed to watch television when they should be at work, in education, engaged in activities to reduce their reoffending or other activities as directed.

Probation Chiefs Association

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many meetings he has had with the Chairman of the Probation Chiefs Association to discuss the transforming justice agenda to date;
	(2)  how many meetings he has had with G4 representatives to discuss the transforming justice agenda to date.

Jeremy Wright: The Department publishes details of meetings between Ministers and all external organisations on a quarterly basis. Meetings from January 2010 to December 2012 can be found at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/information-access-rights/transparency-data
	Meetings from January 2013 can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments 5B%5D=ministry-of-justice&publication_type=transparency-data
	Meetings from March 2013 will be published in due course.

Procurement

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what consideration he has given to the discretionary grounds for prohibiting G4S and Serco from applying for contracts from his Department.

Jeremy Wright: The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), has made clear that the Ministry of Justice will not award new contracts to G4S or Serco unless the audit of every Ministry of Justice contract held by the two companies is completed to our satisfaction. A decision will be taken once the audit has concluded.

Protection from Harassment Act 1997

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many people have been charged under the provisions of Section 2a of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 since 25 November 2012;
	(2)  how many people have been charged under the provisions of Section 4a of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 since 25 November 2012.

Jeremy Wright: Stalking causes misery for victims and will not be tolerated. Since 2012 the Government has introduced new specific stalking offences and delivered training and guidance for police officers and prosecutors about the new legislation. The Government Action Plan to End Violence Against Women and Girls makes an undertaking to continue to raise awareness of stalking to improve professionals' response. The Ministry of Justice is supporting the Home Office who lead on this work.
	Charging data is not held by the Ministry of Justice. The Department holds courts proceedings data, but only for the number of defendants proceeded against in the first month of the offences being available. Between 25 November 2012 and 31 December 2012, eight defendants were proceeded against under section 2A and no defendants were proceeded against under section 4A of Protection from Harassment Act 1997.
	Court proceedings data for 2013 are planned for publication in May 2014.
	Please note this data presents the principal offences under which a defendant has been proceeded against. If a defendant has been proceeded against for two or more offences it is the offence with the higher or highest maximum penalty that is selected.

Public Relations

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department and its associated public bodies spent on (a) external public relations consultants and (b) public affairs consultants, in each of the past three years; and for what purposes such consultants were engaged.

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice does not spend any money on (a) external public relations consultants or (b) public affairs consultants.

HEALTH

Abortion

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will hold discussions with the Secretary of State for Justice on the pre-signing of abortion forms; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: We have no current plans to meet with the Ministry of Justice on the pre-signing of abortion forms. Consideration is being given to what, if any, further action should be taken following the decision by the Crown Prosecution Service not to prosecute any individuals whom they were investigating in relation to pre-signing.

Absenteeism

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the rates of staff (a) absence and (b) sickness absence in his Department in each of the past five years were; and what the departmental targets were in each case.

Daniel Poulter: Staff may be absent from the Department for a variety of reasons other than illness. These will include adoption leave, maternity leave, paternity leave, and special leave with and without pay which may be offered for a range of reasons. The Department has clear policies with defined limits for eligibility or entitlement and all leave is managed and monitored by line managers and the Department's Human Resource team. There is no automatic entitlement to special leave, with the exception of maternity, parental and dependency leave.
	The Department does not have a specific sickness absence target. However, it does currently have one of the lowest rates across Whitehall for the average number of working days lost per staff.
	The following three tables provide data on the rates of staff absence within the last five complete financial years.
	
		
			 Table l: Department of Health Sickness Absence Rates by financial year 
			  Total working days lost due to sickness Average working days lost per staff 
			 2012-13 9,262 4.1 
			 2011-12 9,531 4.0 
			 2010-11 12,130 4.7 
			 2009-10 11,252 4.5 
			 2008-09 11,942 5.1 
			 Source: Department of Health Business Management System 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Department of Health Absence Rates for Maternity, Paternity and Adoption Leave by financial year 
			  Total number of days Number of staff taking leave 
			 2012-13 25,004 123 
			 2011-12 26,119 140 
			 2010-11 26,790 133 
			 2009-10 22,504 104 
			 2008-09 21,652 98 
			 Source: Department of Health Payroll System 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 3: Department of Health Absence Rates for Special Leave by financial year 
			  Total number of working days  
			  Special leave with pay Special leave without pay Total 
			 2012-13 423 515 938 
			 2011-12 596 198 794 
			 2010-11 717 263 980 
			 2009-10 637 378 1,015 
			 2008-09 312 443 755 
			 Source: Department of Health Business Management System

Accident and Emergency Departments

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library details of the figures used to calculate how the extra funds he has allocated to deal with the pressures on accident and emergency departments are to be disbursed;

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the written statement of 10 September 2013, Official Report, columns 45-48WS, on NHS winter planning, if he will publish the methodology used by NHS England, Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority to allocate the winter planning funding; and if he will make a statement;

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the statement of 10 September 2013, Official Report, column 46WS, on NHS winter planning, whether (a) recent changes to accident and emergency provision in hospitals, (b) reconfiguration of health services and awareness among the population of access to emergency care, (c) adequacy of local transport provision, (d) proportion of elderly people in the local population and (e) relative level of deprivation was considered as part of the criteria in selecting hospitals for additional funding.

Daniel Poulter: As set out in the written ministerial statement of 10 September 2013, Official Report, columns 46-48WS, £221 million has been provisionally allocated for 53 high risk areas across England (along with £15 million towards securing a reliable NHS 111 service throughout the winter period and a small contingency fund of £14 million). Decisions on which trusts to concentrate the resources for the upcoming winter were made jointly by NHS England, Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority (NTDA), working together with regional and national tripartite groups.
	Decisions were made on the basis of a number of factors including risk to delivery of the accident and emergency (A and E) standard, challenging local circumstances and the needs of local populations. This gave a picture of those facing the greatest compound risk and identified the trusts thought most likely to benefit most from additional funding.
	Proposals were then reviewed by regional groups made up of NHS England, Monitor and the NTDA to ensure that plans are robust and evidence-based.
	The money will be targeted at local systems which will benefit most from the extra funding. If a trust has not been identified to receive a share of these winter monies it is a sign that they are performing well in delivering their A and E services or have robust and well-resourced plans in place to deliver and sustain improved A and E performance throughout the winter and beyond. Nonetheless we are not complacent, each of the 143 urgent care boards have presented specific plans for initiatives to alleviate pressures on local A and E departments, and NHS England, Monitor and the NTDA will be working with hospitals across the whole country to ensure that emergency services are ready for winter.

Accountancy

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on accountants in each year since 2010.

Daniel Poulter: Information recorded in the Department's Business Management System is not detailed enough to allow separate identification of the amount spent on accountants, and to calculate this category of expenditure would incur disproportionate costs.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress he has made towards achieving the Alcohol Unit Reduction Pledge.

Daniel Poulter: The major alcohol producers and retailers are signed up (around 34 companies) to the Responsibility Deal pledge to remove 1 billion units of alcohol from the market by the end of 2015. Individual companies publicly set out their actions to contribute to this pledge and publicly provided annual updates on what they did between March 2012 and March 2013 and work will continue to encourage others to sign up to help achieve this goal. The unit reduction pledge action plans and annual updates can be found on the Department's website:
	https://responsibilitydeal.dh.gov.uk/pledges/
	and click A8. Alcohol Unit Reduction.
	The Government's response to the alcohol consultation Next steps following the consultation on delivering the Governments alcohol strategy 23 July 2013 sets a challenge to industry to increase their level of ambition and ownership of the issues and to deliver rapid action, through the Responsibility Deal, in the following areas:
	tackling the high strength or high volume products that can cause the most harm;
	promoting and displaying alcohol responsibly in shops;
	improving education around drinking; and
	supporting targeted local action.

Allergies

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what investment his Department has made in research and training to tackle the effects of allergies in the current and the next two financial years.

Daniel Poulter: The Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funds a wide range of research relating to allergies.
	Three NIHR biomedical research units in respiratory disease have been awarded a combined total of £21.6 million over five years from April 2012. The programmes of these units include research on severe asthma.
	The NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London has a research theme on environmental, respiratory health and allergy with total funding of £2.2 million over five years from April 2012.
	The NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre has a paediatrics research theme with total funding of £4.4 million over five years from April 2012. This theme includes a focus on allergic diseases (asthma, eczema, rhino-conjunctivitis, anaphylaxis and food allergy).
	The University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust is receiving £2.5 million NIHR funding between September 2012 and March 2017 for a respiratory and allergy clinical research facility.
	The NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme is funding a £0.5 million study on preventing and lessening exacerbations of asthma in school-age children associated with a new term. This study began in January 2013 and the report of its findings is expected to be published in late 2016.
	Other individual studies currently funded by the NIHR relating to allergy include a £0.2 million project on enabling people with the oral allergy syndrome to eat fresh fruit. This study is due to end in March 2015.
	The Government has mandated Health Education England (HEE) to provide national leadership on education, training and work force development in the national health service. This mandate includes a commitment that HEE will ensure that general practitioner (GP) training produces GPs with the required competencies to practise in the new NHS. Consequently HEE will work with stakeholders to influence training curricula as appropriate.
	Two allergy specialty trainees were recruited this year. It is currently anticipated that two new trainees will also be recruited in the next two years.

Ambulance Services

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department gives on the circumstances where ambulance crews should turn on blue lights and sirens.

Anna Soubry: The Department of Health has not issued national guidelines that stipulate the use of sirens and blue lights. Matters of this nature are the responsibility of the Department for Transport, as it is the sponsoring Department for the Road Traffic Act, the Road Vehicles and Lighting Regulations and other associated legislation.
	Where a vehicle is permitted to use blue lights under the definitions of the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 (as amended), they may only do so at the scene of an emergency or when it is necessary or desirable to indicate to persons using the road the urgency of the purpose for which the vehicle is being used or to warn of the presence of the vehicle.
	It is a matter for national health service ambulance trusts to manage locally the use of sirens and to ensure that their drivers are using them responsibly and in line with the above requirements.

Ambulance Services

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department issues to ambulance services on providing training to paramedics on new drugs before those drugs are brought into use.

Daniel Poulter: There is no departmental policy setting out protocol for ambulance staff to follow when attending to patients.
	It is the responsibility of employers of paramedics to keep their staff up to date on new developments relevant to their work, including the use of new drugs. This is a part of their continuing professional development.
	Guidance for national health service paramedics is provided by the Joint Royal Colleges Ambulance Liaison Committee. The clinical practice guidelines are developed by the Guideline Development Group and are applicable to all pre-hospital clinicians.

Ambulance Services

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department issues to ambulance services on the use of text messages to pass information to fast response vehicles which are out on the road.

Daniel Poulter: It is the responsibility of individual ambulance service providers to provide guidance and training on the usage of digital terminals.
	A majority, if not all, of ambulance trusts do not send information to emergency ambulance staff via text but use mobile data terminals (MDT). In addition, all crews carry airwave radios.
	Emergency Operations Centre dispatchers send all information about urgent and emergency incidents via MDTs to ambulances and rapid response vehicles.

Aortic Aneurysm

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evaluation his Department has made of the pilot national aortic aneurysm screening programme; and what plans he has for national roll-out of that programme.

Daniel Poulter: Before making its recommendation on screening for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA), the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) considered the evidence, merits and costs of introducing the screening programme against its internationally recognised criteria to ensure it would deliver benefits at a reasonable cost. Following the recommendation from the UK NSC in January 2008, the Department announced the introduction of a screening programme for AAA for men aged 65 in England.
	In common with other national screening programmes, the programme’s roll-out was managed in phases to ensure high quality programmes could be put in place while a validation and assurance process of appropriate treatment services was also completed. This assurance process led to the reorganisation of some treatment services. The phased roll-out of the NHS AAA screening programme began in 2009 and was completed in April 2013. There was no formal pilot stage prior to the roll-out beginning in 2009. The first early implementation phase was reviewed and lessons learned were acted upon during the implementation of later phases. The changes were operational and based upon what worked best in practice and provided best value.
	Following completion of the national roll-out, AAA screening is now offered to all men across England during their 65th year. Men over 65 can self-refer for screening if they have not previously been tested.

Bill Morgan

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions Mr Bill Morgan has been registered as a visitor to his Department's main building since December 2012.

Daniel Poulter: We are not aware that Bill Morgan has visited Richmond House since December 2012. However; to check visitor records to confirm this would incur disproportionate cost.

Blood: Contamination

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many claims made by victims of tainted blood have been settled out of court in the most recent period for which records are available.

Daniel Poulter: Since the out of court settlement in 1991 of a case brought by a group of individuals with bleeding disorders, the Department has not paid any out of court settlements in respect of the infection of individuals with HIV and/or hepatitis C through treatment with NHS-supplied blood or blood products.
	The Department currently funds five ex-gratia schemes for those affected. As at the end of the 2012-13 financial year, the Department had paid out over £308 million to the ex-gratia payment schemes, the preceding schemes and the 1991 settlement.

Buildings

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what refurbishments to his Department's buildings have been carried out in the last 24 months; and at what cost.

Daniel Poulter: As part of the transition to the new Health Social Care system a number of new organisations were established in line with the Health and Social Care Act 2012. This has required the Department to improve and update its buildings to accommodate these new organisations within its own buildings, thus maximising efficiency and effectiveness without purchasing expensive new buildings. We have also taken the opportunity to deliver a number of improvements to our lighting, heating and cooling systems which will make our buildings more energy efficient and help towards delivering our Greener Government targets.
	Expenditure on office refurbishment undertaken by the Department and its non-departmental public bodies relate to the general fit out, improvement and provision of furniture and equipment and exclude building repair and maintenance. It is not possible to provide a more detailed breakdown of this expenditure by category of refurbishment without incurring disproportionate cost.
	Total refurbishment costs for the period 2011-12 to 2012-13 are detailed as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2011-12 4,927,470 
			 2012-13 12,607,048

Buildings

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many square metres of office space his Department (a) owns and (b) rents in London; and what the value is of that property.

Daniel Poulter: The Department owns/rents the following office space in London:
	
		
			  Square metres Value (£ million) 
			 Office space owned   
			 Richmond House 13,251 46.1 
			 Wellington House 11,232 26.25 
			    
			 Rented   
			 Skipton House 19,924 1— 
			 Maple Street 1,719 1— 
			 151 Buckingham Palace Road 3,412 1— 
			 1 Not known. 
		
	
	The Department does not hold information on the value of properties it rents.

Buildings

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the expenditure on office refurbishment by (a) his Department and (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies in each year since 2010-11.

Daniel Poulter: As part of the Transition, to the new Health Social Care system a number of new organisations were established in line with the Health and Social Care Act 2012. This has required the Department to improve and update its buildings to accommodate these new organisations within its own buildings thus maximising efficiency and effectiveness without purchasing expensive new buildings. We have also taken the opportunity to deliver a number of improvements to our lighting, heating and cooling systems which will make our buildings more energy efficient and help towards delivering our Greener Government targets.
	Expenditure on office refurbishment undertaken by the Department and its non-departmental public bodies since 2010-11 is as follows. Refurbishment costs relate to the general fit out, improvement and provision of furniture and equipment and excludes building repair and maintenance. It is not possible to provide a more detailed breakdown of this expenditure by category of refurbishment without incurring disproportionate cost. Partial information for non-departmental bodies can be provided only as some of this data is not available.
	
		
			 £ 
			  Department Non-departmental public bodies 
			 2010-11 2,307,347 1,340,813 
			 2011-12 4,927,470 570,694 
			 2012-13 12,607,048 1,688,269

Buildings

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the number of office relocations made by staff of (a) his Department and (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies (i) within the original building and (ii) to other buildings in each year since 2009-10; what the cost of (A) removals and (B) refurbishments related to such moves has been; and on how many occasions offices refurbished by his Department in that period have been used by his Department's staff for less than four years before a further move.

Daniel Poulter: As part of the transition to the new health and social care system a number of new organisations were established as part of the Health and Social Care Act 2012. This has required the Department to improve and update its buildings to accommodate these new organisations thus maximising efficiency and effectiveness without purchasing expensive new buildings.
	Refurbishment relates to the general fit out, improvement and provision of furniture and equipment and it is not possible to provide a more detailed breakdown of this expenditure directly related to each relocation without incurring disproportionate cost.
	The Department and its non-departmental public bodies do not hold a complete set of information on the number of office relocations carried out within the original building and to other buildings since 2009-10. Information that is available is detailed as follows. Where known we have provided the actual number of individual moves undertaken.
	
		
			 Department 
			  Office relocations within original building Office relocations to other buildings  
			  Number of relocations Removal costs (£) Refurbishment costs (£) Number of relocations Removal costs (£) Refurbishment costs (£) Number of times refurbishment used for less than four years 
			 2009-10 — — — — — — — 
			 2010-11 — — — — — — — 
			 2011-12 227 — — 16 — — 0 
			 2012-13 1,073 38,177 — 966 53,506 — 0 
		
	
	
		
			 Non-departmental public bodies 
			  Office relocations within original building Office relocations to other buildings  
			  Number of relocations Removal costs (£) Refurbishment costs (£) Number of relocations Removal costs (£) Refurbishment costs (£) Number of times refurbishment used for less than four years 
			 2009-10 13,252 7,298 — — — — 2 
			 2010-11 4,750 — — 22 115,473 — 1 
			 2011-12 10,272 — — 22 43,809 — 1 
			 2012-13 39,621 72,100 — 1 13,478 — 0 
			 1 Figure consists of 3,250 individual staff moves and two bulk moves where the detail of actual number of moves is not known. 2 Figure relates to bulk moves where the detail of actual staff moved is not known. 3 Figure consists of 9,618 individual staff moves and three bulk moves where the detail of actual number of moves is not known.

Cancer: Drugs

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the (a) quality and (b) safety of chemotherapy services in the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: NHS England has responsibility for chemotherapy services.
	NHS England’s chemotherapy Clinical Reference Group (CRG) has set out service specifications defining what NHS England expects to be in place for providers to offer evidence-based safe and effective chemotherapy services. The chemotherapy CRG will keep the quality and safety of chemotherapy services under review. Chemotherapy delivery in provider organisations is also subject to peer review.

Care Homes

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) private and (b) local authority care homes for the elderly have (i) opened and (ii) closed in (A) England and (B) Yorkshire in each year since 1997.

Norman Lamb: We are informed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which, as regulator of health and adult social care services in England, registers care providers and collects data on their numbers, that information is not available for the years from 1997-2003.
	The CQC records registrations and de-registrations. These include the numbers of homes which open and close, but also de-registration and re-registration in cases of new ownership, temporary closures for refurbishment, etc. Since 2010, the CQC has employed the terms “activation” and “de-activation” in place of “registration” and “de-registration”.
	The CQC has data from 1 April 2004, when its immediate predecessor as regulator of adult social care, the Commission for Social Care Inspection, was established under the Care Standards Act 2000.
	Data for the years:
	1 April 2004 to 30 September 2010—de-registrations and new registrations of private and local authority-owned care homes for older people under the Care Standards Act 2000, and;
	1 October 2010 onwards—de-activations and new activations of care home locations for older people under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.
	are shown in the following tables.
	
		
			 De-registrations and new registrations of private and local authority-owned care homes for older people per year under the Care Standards Act (1 April 2004-30 September 2010) 
			 De-registrations—England 
			  Private homes Local authority homes 
			 2004 1,256 76 
			 2005 991 75 
			 2006 848 58 
			 2007 887 64 
			 2008 524 64 
			 2009 392 39 
			 2010 330 41 
		
	
	
		
			 De-registrations—Yorkshire and Humberside 
			  Private homes Local authority homes 
			 2004 149 5 
			 2005 90 6 
			 2006 94 15 
			 2007 99 19 
			 2008 57 5 
			 2009 34 7 
			 2010 29 3 
			 Note: The numbers of de-registrations under the Care Standards Act are based on the presence of a de-registration date against a service. De-registrations may be temporary and should not be regarded as permanent closures. All services with a de-registration date have been counted. 
		
	
	
		
			 New registrations—England 
			  Private homes Local authority homes 
			 2004 527 39 
			 2005 821 13 
			 2006 712 12 
			 2007 763 4 
			 2008 510 9 
			 2009 323 3 
			 2010 27 0 
		
	
	
		
			 New registrations—Yorkshire and Humberside 
			  Private homes Local authority homes 
			 2004 60 2 
			 2005 74 0 
			 2006 74 4 
			 2007 85 1 
			 2008 59 0 
			 2009 30 2 
			 2010 4 0 
		
	
	
		
			 De-activations and new activations of care home locations for older people under the Health and Social Care Act (since 1 October 2010) 
			 De-activations—England 
			  All homes 
			 2011 1,132 
			 2012 852 
		
	
	
		
			 2013 460 
			 Note: Two de-activated care homes for older people under the Health and Social Care Act in England have a null end date. 
		
	
	
		
			 De-activations—Yorkshire and the Humber 
			  All homes 
			 2011 113 
			 2012 96 
			 2013 39 
		
	
	
		
			 New activations—England 
			  All homes 
			 2010 4,898 
			 2011 7,524 
			 2012 782 
			 2013 420 
		
	
	
		
			 New activations—Yorkshire and the Humber 
			  All homes 
			 2010 475 
			 2011 767 
			 2012 77 
			 2013 35 
			 Notes: 1. “Care homes for the elderly” are not defined under the Health and Social Care Act. The CQC has defined them based on having the ‘service user bands' of older people or whole population. This excludes other service user bands that may be relevant, for example, dementia. 2. Due to the fact that adult social care was regulated under two separate acts in 2010—the Care Standards Act until 30 September 2010 and the Health and Social Care Act from 1 October 2010—figures for new registrations and de-registrations under the Care Standards Act, and new activations under the Health and Social Care Act are provided for that year. 3. The numbers of new activations in 2010 and 2011 are artificially high, due to the process of transferring registration of services previously registered under the Care Standards Act to the Health and Social Care Act and the delay in providers receiving the certificate of registration under the new Act, while their locations would have remained active throughout the transfer process. 4. Data recorded under the Care Standards Act 2000 are given only from 1 April 2004 onwards, as this is the default start date for reporting under the Act. 5. De-activations and activations under the Health and Social Care Act are not differentiated by sector (private and local authority). 6. Data under the Health and Social Care Act was taken from the CQC live database on 12 September 2013. This data will be subject to changes, due either to the activation or de-activation of new care homes at a future date; or to the delay between the activation or deactivation of care homes and this activity being recorded electronically. Source: CQC database, Data Requests Team/Intelligence Directorate, at 11 September 2013.

Carers

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what support his Department gives to assist people who have given up their jobs to care for older relatives.

Norman Lamb: We recognise that many carers feel unable to balance their caring responsibilities with employment. The coalition Government's Carers' strategy ‘Recognised, valued and supported: Next steps for the Carers' Strategy, November 2010’ sets out the vision and priorities for action over four years to 2015, focusing on what will have the biggest impact on carers' lives, including enabling those with caring responsibilities to fulfil their educational and employment potential.
	We recently published ‘Supporting Working Carers: the benefits to families, business and the Economy’, which was the final report of the Carers in Employment Task and Finish Group. This group, which was co-chaired by the Department of Health and Employers for Carers, has developed the evidence base for supporting carers to remain in work, and made a number of recommendations. The group's final report and recommendations are available at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-working-carers-the-benefits-to-families-business-and-the-economy
	A copy has been placed in the Library.
	We have provided an additional £400 million available to the national health service over four years from 2011 to provide carers with breaks from their caring responsibilities to sustain them in their caring role. From 2013-14, the allocation of resources to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) has been a matter for NHS England. It is for CCGs, together with Health and Wellbeing Boards, to ensure appropriate investment for carers' support and breaks.
	Carers are also central to the Government's proposals for care and support and there are significant improvements in the Care Bill (published on 10 May 2013) for carers. This includes plans to simplify the assessment processes for adult carers, so that more of them are able to access an assessment of their needs for support. For the first time, there will be a duty on local authorities to meet carers' eligible needs for support, putting them on an equal footing with the people they support.

Christmas Cards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his private ministerial office spent on sending Christmas cards in 2012.

Daniel Poulter: There was no expenditure on Christmas cards in ministerial private office in 2012.

CJD

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the commutation policy with regard to relations of deceased sufferers of variant CJD;
	(2)  how many claims against his Department made by relations of victims of variant CJD have been settled out of court in the most recent period for which records are available.

Daniel Poulter: No claims have been settled out of court by the Department in relation to variant Creutzfeldt Jakob disease (vCJD).
	The vCJD Trust, set up by Government in 2000, disburses no-fault compensation to vCJD patients and their families. The latest available figures, 12 September 2013, show that the trust has paid out £41,078,281 in compensation.
	Since March 2012, it is the trust’s policy to increase the basic sum payable to each case, from an initial figure of £120,000, by 2% annually. As of March 2013, the sum payable is £124,848.

Continuing Care

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress he has made implementing the Government’s proposals to offer a new enhanced services to help patients with long-term conditions monitor their health.

Norman Lamb: Following changes to the general practitioner (GP) contract for 2013-14, the Secretary of State for Health, the right hon. Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), directed NHS England to establish plans for a remote care monitoring enhanced service that will better enable patients to manage and monitor their condition in ways that improve their quality of life and do not require them to visit their GP practice as often.
	NHS England identified that the GP practices and their respective clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) were best placed to identify the patient cohort that would be best served by this enhanced service.
	NHS England delegated responsibility to CCGs to develop a remote care monitoring scheme with GP practices that meets the terms of the enhanced service. CCG’s were given until 31 August 2013 to work with their practices to develop remote care monitoring arrangements and report participation back to the area teams of NHS England.
	Currently, details of participation are not held centrally but a system for monitoring uptake across all enhanced services is expected to be in place later this year.

Diabetes: China

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times he has (a) met and (b) had telephone conversations with the Chinese Minister of Health to discuss diabetes since September 2012.

Daniel Poulter: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), has not had any meetings or telephone conversations with the Chinese Minister of Health since September 2012, but hopes to meet with her later this year.

General Practitioners

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how he plans to monitor the number of same-day appointments being offered by GPs in the NHS in England.

Daniel Poulter: There are currently no plans to monitor the number of same-day appointments.

Health

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost was of (a) developing and (b) marketing the Smart Restart mobile application for the Change for Life back to school campaign; and how many downloads of the application there have been to date.

Daniel Poulter: The integrated cost of developing the Smart Restart application (including the web version), was £68,055. The proportion of the marketing cost specifically promoting the mobile application (app) was £100,000.
	Between the 28 August (the launch) and 12 September 2013 there were 86,084 downloads of the mobile app.

Health

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 10 September 2013, Official Report , column 678W, on health, which organisations have withdrawn from the Responsibility Deal; on what dates they withdrew; and for what reason they withdrew.

Daniel Poulter: A list of the organisations who have withdrawn from the Responsibility Deal since its launch in March 2011 is provided as follows.
	
		
			 Name of organisation Withdrawal date Reason for withdrawal 
			 Centrica 7 December 2011 Lack of resources in organisation to manage delivery of the pledges 
			 NHS Employers 23 December 2011 Part of NHS Confederation which is signed up 
			 Badminton England 12 January 2012 Felt they would be unable to focus on delivering the pledges in the run up to the Olympics 
			 NHS North East Essex 18 January 2012 Lack of resources in organisation to manage delivery of the pledges 
			 Punch Pub Company 21 February 2012 Company no longer trading 
			 L'Aquila 1 March 2012 Company could not meet the pledges it signed up to 
			 Pride Catering Partnership Ltd 15 March 2012 Lack of resources in organisation to manage delivery of the pledges 
			 Shokk Projects Ltd 30 March 2012 Restructuring of company led to a change in the focus of the business. They felt the RD was no longer relevant 
			 ISS Facility Services Healthcare 20 April 2012 Lack of resources in organisation to manage delivery of the pledges 
			 Maisons Marques et Domaines Ltd 27 June 2012 Company could not meet the pledges it signed up to 
			 Indulgence Patisserie Ltd 27 September 2012 Concern over RD reporting requirements 
			 London Borough of Barking and Dagenham 28 September 2012 Lack of resources in organisation to manage delivery of the pledges 
			 John Paul II Foundation for Sport 14 January 2013 Lack of resources in organisation to manage delivery of the pledges. 
			 Meditation Foundation (The) 22 January 2013 No longer wished to be signed up to the RD 
			 HealthTec South West Ltd 18 February 2013 Company no longer trading 
			 MEND 18 February 2013 Company no longer trading 
			 Paramount Restaurants Limited 18 February 2013 Company no longer trading 
			 Produced in Italy 18 February 2013 Company no longer trading 
			 Waverley TBS 18 February 2013 Company no longer trading 
			 Business Room 52 19 February 2013 Company no longer trading 
			 The Little Smoked Food Company Ltd 7 March 2013 Company could not meet the pledges it signed up to 
			 GE Money Truro 19 April 2013 Lack of resources in organisation to manage delivery of the pledges 
			 Scott's Distribution 26 April 2013 Company in liquidation 
			 Excelsior Academy 2 May 2013 Company could not meet the pledges it signed up to 
			 WellbeingSport 22 May 2013 Company no longer trading 
			 Staying Healthy at Work Employer Champions Group 24 May 2013 Programme ceased 
			 TFC Wines & Spirits Inc 30 May 2013 Company no longer trading in the UK 
			 D&D Wines 3 June 2013 Company no longer trading 
			 Bennett Hay 7 June 2013 Lack of resources in organisation to manage delivery of the pledges 
			 Powerplate International 10 June 2013 Company no longer trading 
			 Federation of Bakers 3 July 2013 Company could not meet the pledges it signed up to 
			 Cancer Support 5 July 2013 Organisation no longer exists 
			 Faculty of Public Health 15 July 2013 Concern over Government's position on minimum unit price for alcohol and standardised packaging of tobacco products 
			 Cancer Research UK 17 July 2013 Concern over Government's position on minimum unit price for alcohol and standardised packaging of tobacco products 
			 Creating Excellence 19 July 2013 Company merged with Equity Communications to create new org, Inspired Exchange which has signed up 
			 Equity Communications 19 July 2013 Has merged with Creating Excellence to create new org, Inspired Exchange which has signed up 
			 Association of Directors of Public Health 29 July 2013 Concern over Government's position on minimum unit price for alcohol and standardised packaging of tobacco products 
		
	
	
		
			 Birmingham City Council 1 August 2013 Concern over Government's position on minimum unit price for alcohol and standardised packaging of tobacco products 
			 NHS Sport & Physical Activity Champion 2 August 2013 Unable to directly deliver pledges but has been actively promoting the RD across the NHS 
			 South West Essex Community Services 20 August 2013 Now part of North East London Foundation NHS Trust which is a partner.

Health Services

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to announce his decision on which areas have been chosen to become a pioneer site to support the delivery of integrated care.

Norman Lamb: The integrated care and support pioneers will be selected by a panel composed of representatives of national partners in integrated care and support, as well as domestic and international experts, and will be announced in October.
	We received over 100 applications to the pioneers programme, and have introduced a number of selection stages to ensure we select the most innovative areas; those short-listed are now undergoing face to face interviews that will inform the decision of the final selection panel. Once selected, the pioneers will be given dedicated central support in overcoming the barriers to integrated care and support, and the learning from this process will be shared nationally to support all localities in delivering integrated care and support.

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken to explain to overseas visitors to the UK the costs of NHS treatment and the need for health insurance.

Daniel Poulter: The NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2011 place a legal obligation on national health service hospitals to identify overseas visitors that are not exempt from charge and to make and recover charges from them.
	The Department has produced comprehensive guidance on the NHS Choices website to explain to overseas visitors about the regulations and how it may affect them. The Department also has a dedicated helpline and e-mail service to provide advice on interpretation of the rules to both NHS staff and overseas visitors. Additionally, NHS bodies are asked to ensure as a priority that all its staff and patients are aware of the charging regime and potential costs of treatment.
	Under the Regulations, there is no mandatory requirement for overseas visitors to have health insurance although visitors are strongly advised to take out health insurance before they travel.

Health Services: Homelessness

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to improve the health of homeless people in Brighton.

Daniel Poulter: We are taking steps to address the poor health outcomes experienced by the homeless and the difficulties that they, and other vulnerable groups, face in accessing some health services.
	For the first time, we have introduced legal duties on national health service commissioners to reduce inequalities in access to and outcomes from health services. In addition, we have developed an Inclusion Health programme, through which we are working with other Government Departments, the NHS and the third sector to tackle the poor health of people in vulnerable groups and to ensure everyone gets the care they need, regardless of their needs or circumstances. As part of this broad programme, we are looking at how to improve hospital discharge arrangements for the homeless and on 3 September 2013, we announced the 52 projects which will receive funding from the new £10 million homeless hospital discharge fund. Funding has been awarded to a hostels hospital discharge project in Brighton. This includes an award of £89,742 to Brighton Housing Trust to deliver the Hostels Hospital Discharge Project. This will involve a general nurse and specialist support worker working across all high support hostels in Brighton to provide support and care to patients who are discharged from hospital back to hostels.

Health Services: Older People

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to improve care for vulnerable older people.

Norman Lamb: The Government recognises that vulnerable older people often do not receive the care that they need and deserve. The Government's ambition to improve care for the most vulnerable, frail elderly is for primary care to provide stronger public health and prevention, improve access and support for self-management, and provide proactive case management. This ambition will require a shift in the way that services are provided.
	Improving care for vulnerable older people will not be for general practice alone, and will need to be considered alongside other out of hospital and hospital services. In particular, changes to general practice will need to build on the work of the National Health Service Medical Director's review of urgent and emergency care services, to ensure that services are best equipped to meet modern demand and provide consistently high quality care to patients. Improving out of hospital care will also need close working between NHS and social care, for example, between primary care and care homes, and with the voluntary sector.
	To support this vision the Government will be working with NHS England to set out a plan for improving out-of-hospital care for vulnerable older people.
	The Government also recently announced measures to reduce pressure on accident and emergency departments in the longer term which will be set out in the vulnerable older people's plan. This covered three aspects of the emergent plan (currently being consulted on) for improving care for vulnerable older people and set out how each element will make a difference to care for this cohort of people:
	1. Every vulnerable older person should expect greater joint working to provide their care between the health and social care systems so that they do not fall between the cracks. We prioritised an additional £2 billion of funding in the spending review to help do this.
	2. Every vulnerable older person should expect to receive personalised, proactive primary care, overseen by a named general practitioner (GP) who is accountable for this care.
	3. Every vulnerable older person should expect that their GP records can be shared with the different organisations delivering care to them, including out of hours GP services and the ambulance services. The technology fund will be used to help support this.
	Through engagement with patients, carers, health and social care staff, and the public over the summer, the Government has been testing its proposals and the best ways to implement them. The final plan will be published in the autumn and will be reflected in the refreshed Mandate to NHS England for 2014-15.

Health: Screening

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether the formal audit of practice suggested by the UK National Screening Committee to establish how effectively guidance from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is being implemented at a national level will include practice as well as a review of policy documents;
	(2)  what evidence his Department holds on the effectiveness of negative results for group B streptococcus from a urine test in early pregnancy as a predictor of maternal group B streptococcus colonisation in labour;
	(3)  pursuant to the answer of 4 September 2013, Official Report, columns 432-3W, on streptococcus, whether the study to be commissioned by the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme will include a comparison of the effectiveness of the high risk factors at predicting GBS colonisation in labour with women without these high risk factors.

Daniel Poulter: The audit was developed as an implementation tool for use locally to audit current practice and to improve implementation of the revised Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists on the prevention of early-onset neonatal group B streptococcal disease.
	The Department does not hold the requested evidence on the effectiveness of negative results for group B streptococcus from a urine test in early pregnancy.
	The research question for which the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) programme is seeking to commission a study is not designed to make a specific comparison of the effectiveness of the high risk factors at predicting strep B streptococcal colonisation in labour with women without these high risk factors.
	The study will focus on pregnant women at high risk for antenatal group B streptococcal colonisation; with reference to the risk factors identified in the guidance from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence clinical guideline on antibiotics for early-onset neonatal infection, and whether testing using new methods could help identify women who carry group B streptococcal from those who do not, and so reduce unnecessary antibiotic use.
	The research brief is available on the HTA website at:
	www.hta.ac.uk/funding/standardcalls/briefs/13_82cb.pdf

Heath Services: Weather

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his statement of 10 September 2013, Official Report, columns 833-34, on accident and emergency departments, for what reasons the extra funds to relieve the pressures on accident and emergency departments have not been allocated to hospitals in North Cheshire; and if he will make a statement;

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the statement of 10 September 2013, Official Report, column 46WS, on NHS winter planning, whether (a) North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust and (b) South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust applied for additional funding.

Daniel Poulter: Decisions on which high risk trusts to concentrate the resources for the upcoming winter were made jointly by NHS England, Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority (NTDA), based on accident and emergency (A and E) performance and the specific plans for initiatives to alleviate pressures on local A and E departments presented by each of the 143 urgent care boards. There was no process for trusts to apply for money.
	Decisions were made on the basis of a number of factors including risk to delivery of the A and E standard, challenging local circumstances and the needs of local populations. This gave a picture of those facing the greatest compound risk and identified the trusts thought most likely to benefit most from additional funding.
	The money will be targeted at the local systems that will benefit most from the extra funding. If a trust has not been identified to receive a share of these winter monies it is a sign that they are performing well in delivering their A and E services. Nonetheless we are not complacent. NHS England, Monitor and the NTDA will be working with hospitals across the whole country to ensure that emergency services are ready for winter.

Hospitals: Appeals

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons NHS England does not have appeal processes for hospitals which wish to challenge that body’s decisions on funding specific procedures or treatments.

Anna Soubry: NHS England has informed us that in line with the NHS England Standard Operating Procedure for Individual Funding Requests (IFRs), individual patient requests for specific procedures/treatments are considered by an IFR panel.
	In the event that the IFR panel does not agree funding of the procedure or treatment, either the patient or patient’s carer or their referring clinician may request a review of an IFR panel decision.
	Reviews are considered by the IFR review panel, which considers whether the process followed by the IFR panel:
	was consistent with the standard operating procedure for IFRs;
	took into account and weighed all relevant information;
	did not take into account irrelevant factors;
	indicated that the members of the IFR panel acted in good faith; and
	reached a decision that a reasonable IFR panel would be entitled to reach.

Hospitals: Disclosure of Information

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on hospitals supplying personal contact data of new mothers on hospital wards to private companies.

Daniel Poulter: Decisions about sharing personal confidential information with private companies are made by local national health service trusts who must ensure there is a lawful basis for doing so. It is our expectation that these decisions will be taken in accordance with the principles in the NHS Confidentiality Code of Practice. This means that in the absence of a statutory requirement to disclose, information should only be shared by NHS trusts when they have obtained the explicit consent of their patients.

Hospitals: Food

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to raise the nutritional standards of meals in NHS hospitals.

Daniel Poulter: Nutritious and appetising hospital food and drink is an essential part of the personal package of care and hospitals should take all reasonable steps to ensure that patients have a healthy food experience.
	The existing registration system, established under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, requires all providers of health and adult social care regulated activities to meet essential levels of safety and quality, and nutrition is a part of this. The requirement for food is that
	“people are encouraged and supported to have sufficient food and drink that is nutritional and balanced, and a choice of food and drink to meet their different needs.”
	The Department encourages hospitals to adopt Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services (Food GBS) which include food standards relating to nutrition, sustainability and animal welfare.
	Data collected as part of the 2013 Patient Led Assessment of the Care Environment process will be used to assess the current levels of uptake of Food GBS in hospitals, as well as to assess the standard of food served. In addition, financial incentives are now available to providers who adopt food standards. These incentives are part of the exemplar Commissioning for Quality and Innovation process and are negotiated locally.

Hospitals: Older People

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people aged 75 years and over were readmitted to hospital within one month of discharge in Brighton, Kemptown in the latest period for which figures are available.

Anna Soubry: Information is not available in the format requested. Information is available on emergency readmissions of over 75-year-olds within 28 days of discharge for the Brighton and Hove Unitary Authority area (UA) and is as follows:
	
		
			 Emergency readmissions to hospital within 28 days of discharge from hospital, adults of aged 75 years and over, Brighton and Hove UA, financial years 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11 
			   Emergency readmissions to hospital within 28 days 
			 Code Label 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 00ML Brighton and Hove UA 1,042 1,036 1,051 
			 Notes: 1. The number of readmissions includes all finished and unfinished continuous inpatient (CIP) spells that are emergency admissions within 0-27 days (inclusive) of the last, previous discharge from hospital, including those where the patient dies, but excluding the following: those with a main specialty upon readmission coded under obstetric or mental health specialties; and those where the readmitting spell has a diagnosis of cancer (other than benign or in situ) or chemotherapy for cancer coded anywhere in the spell. 2. The data presented are a count of readmissions and not of individual patients; as a patient may be readmitted more than once in a financial year. 3. This information is available in the Compendium of Population Health Indicators hosted on the Health and Social Care Information Centre's Indicator Portal accessible via their website. https://indicators.ic.nhs.uk/webview/

Hospitals: Older People

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to improve the treatment of elderly people whilst in hospital.

Norman Lamb: The initial Government response to the Report of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry, Patients First and Foremost, emphasised the importance of making the quality of care as important as the quality of treatment. It addressed the way people are cared for across the health and care settings and set out a range of actions that will be crucial to improving services for older people in hospitals but also in other settings, including residential and care homes, primary care and in the community. These actions include:
	the development of a set of fundamental standards that make explicit the basic standards beneath which care should never fall;
	the appointment of three new Chief Inspectors—one for hospitals, one for social care and one for general practice—who will have a key role in identifying concerns and triggering action; and
	a single aggregated rating system for NHS trusts, comparable to OFSTED reports, that will provide a single version of the truth about how hospitals are performing on what really matters. A rating will also be produced for care homes.
	The Government will be publishing a further response to the Public Inquiry Report in the autumn.
	The Government is currently consulting on a plan to improve care for vulnerable older people across the system. The plan will be published later this year and will include:
	Every vulnerable older person should expect greater joint working to provide their care between the health and social care systems so that they don't fall between the cracks. We prioritised an additional £2 billion of funding in the spending review to help do this;
	Every vulnerable older person should expect to receive personalised, proactive primary care, overseen by a named general practitioner (GP) who is accountable for this care; and
	Every vulnerable older person should expect that their GP records can be shared with the different organisations delivering care to them, including out of hours GP services and the ambulance services. The Technology Fund will help to provide funding for this.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to minimise variation in the cost of a cycle of IVF treatment to the NHS;
	(2)  what guidance his Department gives to clinical commissioning groups on best practice in providing IVF treatment.

Daniel Poulter: Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for commissioning many health care services, including infertility services, to meet the requirements of their population. In doing so, CCGs need to ensure that the services they provide are fit for purpose, reflect the needs of the local people and are value for money.
	To support CCGs in their commissioning of infertility services, NHS England issued a factsheet to CCGs which sets out how CCGs should approach commissioning fertility services and take account of the revised National Institute for Health and Care Excellence fertility guideline.

Meningitis

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the conclusions in the Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer, 2011 that (a) an effective vaccine against meningitis B would have a substantial impact on morbidity and mortality from meningitis and (b) a greater emphasis needs to be placed on preventative health measures.

Anna Soubry: We agree with the conclusions in the Chief Medical Officer's 2011 Annual Report and earlier this year we asked the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to provide the Department with a recommendation in relation to the possible introduction of routine meningococcal B immunisation into the national immunisation programme provided by the national health service. The Committee issued recently an interim position statement on its assessment and has asked stakeholders for comments before finalising and providing its advice to us.

Meningitis: Vaccination

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of the recent decision by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation on the meningococcal B vaccine on the life sciences industry.

Anna Soubry: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recently issued an interim position statement on its assessment on the use of meningococcal B vaccine in the United Kingdom. The Committee has asked stakeholders for comments on the interim statement before finalising it and providing advice to the Department. Thus, since the advice of the Committee has not yet been finalised and provided to Government, no decisions about the use of meningococcal B vaccine in the UK have been made and no assessment on the effect on the life sciences industry have been carried out by the Government.

Mental Health Services: Children

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many inpatient beds for child and adolescent mental health services there were in each year from 2009.

Norman Lamb: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the oral statement of 26 March 2013, Official Report, column 1473, on Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, what progress he has made on the development of a barring scheme to prevent managers found guilty of gross misconduct from finding a job in another part of the NHS.

Daniel Poulter: The Government is committed to establishing a barring mechanism to ensure that managers found guilty of gross misconduct are prevented from being re-employed in a similar role in the national health service.
	A scheme such as this needs to be developed very carefully to ensure that it reassures the public while at the same time enhancing the professional esteem of the majority of senior managers who provide good leadership that results in patients receiving care that is dignified, compassionate and respectful.
	To this effect we have been working closely with key organisations to develop an effective, proportionate approach and will publish an update on progress later in 2013.

Ministers' Private Offices

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent staff of each Civil Service grade are currently employed in the private office of each Minister in his Department; and what the pay band of each such member of staff is.

Daniel Poulter: As of 12 September 2013, the number, grade and pay bands of staff employed in ministerial private offices are shown in the following tables:
	
		
			 Full-time equivalent (FTE) staff in ministerial private office 
			  Grade 
			 Minister Administrative Officer (AO) Executive Officer (EO) Higher Executive Officer (HEO) Fast Stream Grade 7 Senior Civil Servant (SCS) Band 1 Special Adviser Band 2 Grand Total 
			 Secretary of State (Jeremy Hunt) 1.0 3.0 1.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 11.0 
			 Minister of State (Norman Lamb) 2.0  2.0 1.0 1.0 — — 6.0 
			 Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Earl Howe) 1.0 1.0 3.0 — 1.0 — — 6.0 
			 Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Dr Daniel Poulter) 1.0 2.0 2.0 — 1.0 — — 6.0 
			 Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Anna Soubry) 1.0 2.0 2.0 — 1.0 — — 6.0 
			 Total 6.0 8.0 10.0 2.0 6.0 1.0 2.0 35.0 
			 Notes: Special advisor in Minister of State's (Norman Lamb) office is a hosted worker at no cost to the Department. Effective grades have been used. This accounts for officials on temporary promotion to a higher grade. 
		
	
	
		
			 Pay Bands Inner London as at August 2012 
			 Grade Minimum (£) Maximum (£) 
			 Administrative Officer 20,959 23,567 
			 Executive Officer 24,938 30,275 
			 Higher Executive Officer 29,992 37,316 
			 Senior Executive Officer 37,175 45,769 
			 Fast Stream 27,000 41,456 
			 Grade 7 48,799 61,976 
			 Senior Civil Service Band 1 60,000 117,800 
			 Special Adviser Band 2 52,215 69,266

Musculoskeletal Disorders

Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate NHS England has made of the number of cases of musculoskeletal conditions currently managed in primary care; and what assessment NHS England has made of the role that care planning can play in empowering patients with musculoskeletal conditions in relation to their health and wellbeing.

Norman Lamb: Information regarding the number of cases of musculoskeletal conditions (MSK) currently managed in primary care is not held centrally.
	NHS England recognises the importance of care planning and the role that it can play in empowering patients with long term conditions.
	NHS Improving Quality, as part of NHS England, is running a number of work programmes for 2013-14, including looking at evidence based tools for the management of long term conditions. Interventions will involve care plans; care coordination, use of technology, risk stratification, self-care and the role of carers.
	This work will be evaluated and best practice identified.

NHS 111

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to review the operation of the 111 telephone service; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: NHS 111 is now available across more than 90% of England. Latest published performance data (8 September 2013) shows that over 580,000 patients used NHS 111 in July 2013. In addition, over 96% of calls were answered within 60 seconds, above the 95% target.
	NHS England is undertaking a full review of the NHS 111 service to ensure it is fit for the future and is collecting data to monitor impact on emergency service demand. In addition, the Urgent and Emergency Care Review, being led by Sir Bruce Keogh, will look in depth at the system of emergency care and how we ensure that it provides the care patients need, from the right people, in the right place. This will include piloting opportunities for NHS 111 clinicians to have access to patient records, to enable a more integrated service for patients.
	As part of the £250 million of support for emergency care this winter announced by the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), on 10 September 2013, Official Report, columns 45-48WS, we have set aside £15 million towards securing a reliable NHS 111 service throughout the winter period. This will pay for up to an additional 200 call handlers and 60 clinicians, who would be able to handle an extra 20,000 calls to the service each week.
	There is widespread consensus that NHS 111 is in principle a good idea. For many patients, accessing the national health service by telephone is often the quickest and easiest way to get advice and speak to a doctor or nurse when needed, and we remain committed to ensuring the best possible service for patients.

NHS: Privatisation

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make an assessment of the findings of the NHS Support Federation's quarterly review for April to June 2013 on privatisation in the NHS in 2013.

Daniel Poulter: The Department has not received this publication, however we would be happy to consider it.
	The Government has committed that the national health service will continue to be available for everyone who needs it, free at the point of use with access to services based on clinical need, not ability to pay.

NHS: Productivity

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the productivity of the National Health Service in each of the last 10 years.

Daniel Poulter: United Kingdom national health service productivity, as measured by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), is given in the following table:
	
		
			 Growth in UK NHS Productivity 2001-10 
			  UK NHS productivity growth (%) 
			 2001 2.4 
			 2002 -2.0 
			 2003 1.0 
			 2004 0.7 
			 2005 2.3 
			 2006 3.0 
			 2007 -0.6 
			 2008 1.2 
			 2009 -1.1 
			 2010 -0.9 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to one decimal place. 2. Productivity estimates for 2011 and 2012 are not available. 3. ONS estimates productivity on a calendar year, rather than financial year basis. Source: Public Service Productivity Estimates: Healthcare, 2010, Fiona Massey, ONS 7/12/12

Obesity

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people classified as obese in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire, (c) the East Midlands and (d) England.

Daniel Poulter: Estimates of the number of people classified as obese have not been made in the format requested.
	Information on the prevalence of adults who are obese is available in Table 4 of the Adult trend tables from “Health Survey for England—2011 trend tables”'. This information is available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/hse11trendtables
	This information has already been placed in the Library.
	Information, on the prevalence of adults who are obese by former strategic health authority (SHA) is available in Table 10.4 of the “Health Survey for England—2011: Health, social care and lifestyles”. This information is available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/hse11report
	This information has already been placed in the Library.
	Information showing the prevalence of children who are obese in England is available in Table 4 of the Child trend tables from “Health Survey for England—2011 trend tables”.
	Information on the prevalence of children who are obese by former SHA is available in Table 11.3 of the “Health Survey for England—2011: Health, social care and lifestyles”.
	Information on the prevalence of children who are obese by region and local authority is available in the “National Child Measurement Programme: England, 2011/12 school year” tables 3A and 3B. This information is only available for children in reception year (four to five years) and year six (10 to 11 years). This information is available on the:
	www.ic.nhs.uk
	website, by searching “National Child Measurement programme”, and clicking on the third link.
	This information has already been placed in the Library.

Pain

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to support those who have complex regional pain syndrome; and if his Department will create a strategy to address that syndrome.

Norman Lamb: Through the Mandate we have asked the NHS England to make measurable progress in supporting people with ongoing health problems, such as complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) to live healthily and independently, with much better control over the care they receive.
	Many patients with long term chronic pain, such as those with CRPS, can be successfully supported and managed through routine primary and secondary care pain management services. However, it is important that those with the most serious pain management issues receive specialist treatment.
	NHS England is responsible for commissioning highly specialised pain management services for patients with CRPS and has recognised more can be done to identify those most seriously affected. NHS England's Specialised Pain Clinical Reference Group is working with the Royal Colleges and the British Pain Society's guidelines to ensure the needs of these patients are appropriately met.

Press: Subscriptions

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which newspapers, periodicals and trade profession publications his private ministerial office subscribes to on a (a) daily, (b) weekly, (c) monthly and (d) quarterly basis.

Daniel Poulter: Departmental records show the following paid subscriptions for each ministerial private office.
	
		
			  Daily Weekly 
			 Secretary of State (Jeremy Hunt) Daily Express Health Service Journal 
			  Daily Mail British Medical Journal 
			  Daily Mirror  
			  Daily Telegraph  
			  Financial Times  
			  The Guardian  
			  The Sun  
			  The Times  
		
	
	
		
			  Daily Weekly 
			 Minister of State (Norman Lamb) Financial Times (online subscription) The Economist 
			  The Times (online subscription) Health Service Journal 
		
	
	
		
			  Weekly 
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Anna Soubry) GP Magazine 
		
	
	
		
			  Daily Weekly 
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Earl Howe) Daily Mail Health Service Journal 
			  Daily Telegraph  
			  Financial Times  
			  The Guardian  
			  The Independent  
			  The Times  
		
	
	There is no record of any subscriptions held by the office of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Dr Daniel Poulter) in his capacity as a Health Minister.

Procurement

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department makes of the (a) payment of minimum wage, (b) payment of living wage and (c) use of zero hours contracts when tendering for public procurement contracts.

Daniel Poulter: The Department, within its own terms and conditions, includes clauses relating to statutory legal requirements, and when there is a legislative requirement to advertise for goods and services, the Department provides potential suppliers with a link to the Department for Work and Pensions website. The Department evaluates tenders based on a value for money solution which in the main incorporates the most economical solution to provide services and is set out within invitation to tender award criteria.
	When engaging temporary staff and specialist contractors, the Department uses suppliers sourced from compliant framework agreements negotiated and put in place by the Government Procurement Service.

Public Relations

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department and its associated public bodies spent on (a) external public relations consultants and (b) public affairs consultants, in each of the past three years; and for what purposes such consultants were engaged.

Daniel Poulter: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  How much was spent on external public relations consultants (£) For what purposes were such consultants engaged How much was spent on public affairs consultants (£) For what purposes were such consultants engaged 
			 2010-11     
			 Department of Health 700,000 Public health social marketing campaigns: Change4Life/Obesity = £550,000 Alcohol(1) = £40,000 Cancer—Bowel = £0 Cancer—Lung = £0 Drugs Advertising and FRANK (Share with Home Office) = £20,000 Smoking—Tobacco Control = £10,000 English Screening Programmes(2) = £80,000 0 — 
			 Care Quality Commission 0 — 0 — 
			 Monitor 0 — 0 — 
			 NHS Blood and Transplant 0 — 0 — 
			 NHS England Did not exist 
			      
			 2011-12     
			 Department of Health 1,390,000 Public health social marketing campaigns: Change4Life/Obesity = £1,000,000 Alcohol(1) = £0 Cancer—Bowel = £70,000 Cancer—Lung = £50,000 Drugs Advertising and FRANK (Share with Home Office) = £0 Smoking—Tobacco Control = £170,000 English Screening Programmes(2) = £100,000 0 — 
			 Care Quality Commission 70,198 To provide external advice and challenge on issues and risks across health and social care 71,918 Public affairs action and advice 
			 Monitor 14,064 Review of communications strategy 0 — 
			 NHS Blood and Transplant 0 — 0 — 
			 NHS England(3) 0 — 0 — 
		
	
	
		
			      
			 2012-13     
			 Department of Health 1,320,000 Public health social marketing campaigns: Change4Life/Obesity = £1,200,000 Alcohol(1) = £ Cancer—Bowel = £0 Cancer—Lung = £0 Drugs Advertising and FRANK (Share with Home Office) = £20,000 Smoking—Tobacco Control = £0 English Screening Programmes(2) = £100,000 0 — 
			 Care Quality Commission 96,385 To provide external advice and challenge on issues and risks across health and social care 71,022 Public affairs action and advice 
			 Monitor 15,600 Review of communications strategy 81,600 External strategic communications support to Senior Management during Monitor's transition to take on new functions under the Health and Social Care Act 2013 
			 NHS Blood and Transplant 354,219 National Blood Week 2012, National Transplant Week 2012, European Championships, Summer 2012 (Olympics) campaigns to build blood stocks ahead of the event. 0 — 
			 NHS England 74,754 To provide external public relations advice, part of which was advising the NHS Commissioning Board on communications 0 — 
			 (1) Although listed separately, in 2011-12, alcohol was incorporated into the Change4Life campaign. (2) The contract started 7 July 2010 and ends 31 December 2013. This contract was managed by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC). The UK NSC has transferred into Public Health England from 1 April 2013. (3) NHS England came into existence (as the NHS Commissioning Board Authority) in October 2011. The following public bodies returned a nil response: Health and Social Care Information Centre Health Education England (not in existence for 2010-11 or 2011-12) Health Research Authority (not in existence for 2010-11) Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority Human Tissue Authority Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency National Institute for Health and Care Excellence NHS Business Services Authority NHS Litigation Authority NHS Trust Development Authority (not in existence for 2010-11 or 2011-12) 
		
	
	PR companies are employed to support a very wide range of marketing and policy initiatives including our major public health behaviour change programmes (such as tobacco control, sexual health, obesity prevention and drug and alcohol harm reduction programmes). In addition to providing specialist knowledge of a wide range of media through which the Department needs to communicate with specific target audiences, they also provide extensive creative input to communications programmes.
	PR companies are a highly flexible and cost-effective resource, as they can be commissioned for the duration of each individual, project, thus reducing the need for increasing internal headcount.

Publications

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list (a) the title and subject, (b) the total cost to his Department and (c) the commissioned author or organisation of each external report commissioned by his Department in each year since 2010.

Daniel Poulter: The Department does not keep a central record of reports that may have been commissioned and the information could be collected only at disproportionate cost.

Radiotherapy

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  under which section of the mandate from the Government to the NHS Commissioning Board is NHS England given the authority to restrict the number of providers of radiosurgery services in England;
	(2)  when NHS England launched its review into the provision of stereotactic radiosurgery services; what the scope and duration of that review is; which clinicians, hospitals and other interested parties have been consulted to date; and when the outcome of the review will be published.

Daniel Poulter: Sections 9.2 and 9.3 of the Mandate from the Department to NHS England state that the Department will hold NHS England to account for its direct commissioning responsibilities. These responsibilities include the commissioning of radiosurgery services, which are included in the list of 143 specialised services that NHS England commissions directly.
	Section 9.3 of the Mandate states that NHS England must measure and publish information about the quality and value of the services that it commissions. NHS England has developed a specification for radiosurgery services, following wide stakeholder consultation. The specification defines what NHS England expects from providers in terms of evidence-based, safe and effective services. NHS England has also published clinical commissioning policies outlining the services that are available to patients in England.
	As part of its commissioning responsibilities, NHS England decides on the most appropriate approach to commissioning the service concerned, and in some cases this can mean a restricted number of providers in order to ensure that a high level of clinical expertise, specialised resources, skills and staffing are maintained. This is particularly important when considering a service such as stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) that requires very expert technical ability in order to deliver good outcomes.
	NHS England has recently commenced its demand and capacity review project for SRS and stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) for intracranial conditions. The output of this project will be to inform a national strategy to support the 10 Area Teams commissioning specialised services. NHS England expects the strategy to be completed by the end of the year, and published in early 2014.
	The review aims to ensure access to equitable and nationally consistent access to high quality SRS/SRT services. This project will include reviewing the national patient demand for routinely funded SRS/SRT that NHS England commissions and will consider the appropriate technology and capacity requirements needed to provide services to meet patient needs.
	The Clinical Reference Groups for Radiotherapy and SRS will be providing the clinical advice to the review. NHS England will be working with industry and providers as appropriate to provide the demand and capacity information required.

Satellite Broadcasting

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what subscriptions his Department has for premium satellite television channels; and what the cost of each such subscription was in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Daniel Poulter: During the financial year 2012-13, the Department's Media Centre paid £2,531.72 (which includes value added tax) to maintain its monthly corporate subscription to Sky TV. For comparison, the amount paid in previous years is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year Yearly cost including VAT (£) 
			 2009-10 2,329.77 
			 2010-11 2,428.37 
			 2011-12 2,505.60 
			 2012-13 2,531.72

School Milk

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the (a) cost and (b) timescales of a procurement exercise for a contract for direct supply of milk as part of the Nursery Milk Scheme.

Daniel Poulter: A decision on the future operation of the Nursery Milk Scheme will be taken after full consideration is given to the consultation responses, the accompanying impact assessment and other relevant information. The Department has not made a specific assessment of the precise cost of the procurement exercise for the direct supply of nursery milk. If the Government proceeds with the direct supply option for the future operation of the scheme, the Department in line with Cabinet Office policy will apply lean procurement principles to the procurement exercise and use the Open
	Official Journal 
	of the European Union (OJEU) procedure. Application of the lean methodology will allow us to engage with the market to explore cost impact in more detail. The timescales followed will be in line with Open OJEU guidelines.

School Milk

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what calculation was used for the target price range for a pint of milk included in the direct supply option within his Department's Next steps for nursery milk consultation.

Daniel Poulter: The direct supply price of milk in the impact assessment which accompanied the consultation document was an estimate based on farm-gate prices. The estimate may change as we factor in evidence gathered from the consultation. A decision on the future operation of the Nursery Milk Scheme will be taken after full consideration is given to the consultation responses, further evidence received and other relevant information.

School Milk

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many local authorities currently have a local contract for the supply of milk under the Nursery Milk Scheme; and what the average duration of these contracts is.

Daniel Poulter: The number of local authorities who use an agent for the supply of nursery milk is 171. The Department is unable to comment on contractual issues between child care settings and the organisations which provide them with milk.

Security

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many departmental identity cards or passes have been reported lost or stolen by staff in his Department since May 2010.

Daniel Poulter: The Department only retains a record of lost or stolen passes for one calendar year.
	From 12 September 2012 to 11 September 2013, staff reported a total of 68 building passes as lost or stolen.

Social Workers: Training

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the number of placements available for social work students in (a) the current year and (b) the previous year;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the potential shortfall in the placements available for social work students in the next 12 months.

Norman Lamb: It is the responsibility of higher education institutions (HEIs), in partnership with employers, to determine the size of the student intake for social work qualifying courses. As part of that decision-making process, HEIs will need to consider the number and availability of placement days required. Government provides a contribution to the cost of employers hosting a placement through the education support grant. We are currently consulting on the resource allocation formula for the education support grant.

South Essex Partnership NHS Trust

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he has taken in regard to the increasing number of complaints about South Essex Partnership Trust.

Daniel Poulter: As part of the Government's response to Robert Francis's report of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry, the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), commissioned a review of the handling of complaints in national health service hospitals in England, chaired by Ann Clwyd MP and Professor Tricia Hart, Chief Executive of South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The review is considering how concerns and complaints from patients, their carers and families are listened to, heard and acted upon, and identifying key components of good practice. We envisage the report will be published soon, and the Government will consider its recommendations and respond in its further response to the Francis Inquiry, to be published in the autumn.
	The number of complaints received by South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust is an operational matter for the foundation trust. We have therefore written to Lorraine Cabel, Chair of South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, informing her of the hon. Member's enquiry. She will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

South Essex Partnership NHS Trust

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to improve the oversight of Monitor's responsibility in regards to South Essex Partnership Trust.

Daniel Poulter: Monitor is an independent economic regulator established at arm's length with independence over its day-to-day operational decision-making. The Department ensures that Monitor is discharging its statutory duties, managing risk and spending public money appropriately, for example through regular accountability meetings.

Standards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the reasons are for the time taken to publish his Department’s quarterly data summary for the second quarter of 2012-13 and the third quarter of 2012-13.

Daniel Poulter: The quarter 2 and quarter 3 quarterly data summary (QDS) returns of all 17 Departments participating in the QDS process were delayed owing to the development of the Cabinet Office’s Government Interrogating Spending Tool (GIST). The GIST was developed in response to recommendations made in Dr Martin Read’s independent report entitled “Practical Steps to Improve Management Information in Government”. The GIST is an online tool that allows the public to access a breakdown of Government expenditure through the gov.uk website. It makes the process of accessing and analysing complex QDS and OSCAR (online system for central accounting and reporting) data easier and quicker, and for these reasons was seen to justify a short delay in publishing QDS data.

Streptococcus

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  with reference to the remarks made by the Director of the UK National Screening Committee during a radio interview on 19 August 2013, from what dataset the reference to 40 babies a year badly affected by group B streptoccus was drawn; and what the basis was for the classification given to such babies;
	(2)  how many babies aged between zero and six days were diagnosed with group B streptococcal infections in England in (a) 2003 and (b) 2011; and how many such infections were classified as mild;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the proportion of women in England (a) with and (b) without standard risk factors for group B streptococcal infection developing in a newborn will be carrying the infection at the point of delivery in the next 12 months;
	(4)  how his Department plans to involve women in policy decision making in respect of measures to prevent group B streptococcal infection;
	(5)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the guidance on risk-based group B streptococcal infection issued by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in (a) 2003 and (b) 2012 in reducing the incidence of early-onset group B streptococcal infection in babies;
	(6)  what the policy is of his Department on recommending that all women are informed about Group B streptococcus as a routine part of antenatal care.

Daniel Poulter: The UK National Screening Committee director of programmes' comment was based on data derived from the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit study published in The Lancet in 2004 which highlighted the screening programmes internationally report little impact on group B streptococcus in premature babies.
	The UK National Screening Committee estimates that about 25% (about 140,000) of low risk pregnant women will be group B streptococcus carriers at term while a much lower number, about 200, will have an affected baby. As such, a consequence of screening programme would be that many thousands of women testing positive would need to receive antibiotics in order to ensure that those whose babies would be affected received antibiotics during labour.
	In addition, studies of the test suggest that between 13% and 40% of screen positive women will no longer be carriers at the point of delivery. Because of this, a proportion of women will receive antibiotics when they do not carry group B streptococcus. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recently concluded that group B streptococcus carriage in pregnancy was not a useful predictor of early onset group B streptococcus disease.
	The following table information on number of incidents of group B streptococcal bacteraemia in babies aged between 0 and 6 days, without classification as mild.
	
		
			  Number of incidents in babies aged (0-6 days) 
			 2003(1) 208 
			 2011 260 
			 (1) Numbers for 2003 are for England and Wales Source: Public Health England 
		
	
	The Department is working together with the national health service, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), the Royal College of Midwives, the National Institute for Health Research Heath Technology Assessment and the pharmaceutical industry to raise awareness and make improvements in the reduction of early-onset group B streptococcus infection in newborn babies.
	The RCOG published its updated guidelines on prevention of group B streptococcus on incidence of group B streptococcus infection in neonates in July 2012. The updated guideline took into account new evidence on the prevention of early-onset neonatal group B streptococcus disease.
	It is important that services undertake local clinical audits to ensure the effective use of intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis recommended by the guideline.
	Following the publication of the revised guideline, the UK National Screening Committee suggested a formal audit of practice, to establish how well the new guidance is being implemented at a national level.
	The RCOG, in partnership with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, has now appointed a clinical research fellow to carry out an audit across the United Kingdom. The aim is to provide feedback and advice to ail participating trusts about how they can further improve their adherence to the RCOG guidelines on the prevention of neonatal group B streptococcus disease.
	In addition, NICE published two clinical audit tools which include clinical audit standards, a data collection form and an action plan template for use by services that care for women in labour or for babies at risk of, or being treated for, early-onset neonatal infection. We expect NHS organisations to take them fully into account in their decision making, including on antibiotics for the prevention and treatment of early onset neonatal infection.
	A midwife offers every woman testing for asymptomatic bacteria early in pregnancy and this includes looking for group B streptococcus.
	NHS Choices and RCOG provide consistent and complimentary advice on group B streptococcus (early and late onset) for women and their families who are expecting a baby or are planning to get pregnant.
	Information from NHS Choices is available at:
	www.nhs.uk/chq/pages/2037.aspx?categoryid=54& subcategoryid=137
	Information from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is available at:
	www.rcog.org.uk/womens-health/clinical-guidance/group-b-streptococcus-gbs-infection-newborn-babies-information-you

Televisions

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many flat screen televisions have been purchased by his Department in the last 24 months; and what the cost to the public purse was of such purchases.

Daniel Poulter: The Department has purchased and installed nine flat screen (plasma and liquid crystal display) televisions in the last two years, (2011-12 and 2012-13 to date), costing a total of £5,008.86.

Thromboembolism

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements there are to ensure that clinical commissioning groups are held accountable for the prevention of venous thromboembolism.

Anna Soubry: On 1 April 2013, the National Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) Prevention Programme moved to NHS England under the continued leadership of Dr Mike Durkin in his role as director of patient safety.
	The clinical commissioning group (CCG) outcomes indicator set (CCGOIS) provides clear, comparative information to support CCGs and health and wellbeing boards to identify local priorities and demonstrate progress on improving outcomes, as well as supporting public transparency about local health services.
	All of the CCGOIS indicators have been chosen on the basis that they contribute to the overarching aims of the five domains in the NHS outcomes framework. In relation to VTE, the relevant objective of the NHS outcomes framework is
	“reduced harm from failure to prevent VTE in a healthcare setting”.

Tobacco: Packaging

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to discuss plain packaging of cigarettes with his Scottish counterparts.

Daniel Poulter: Ministers and officials discuss issues relating to public health with their Scottish Government counterparts as necessary, this would include standardised packaging of tobacco products when appropriate.

Trillium

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on contracts with Trillium Group in each year since 2008.

Daniel Poulter: The Department's business management system (BMS) shows spend with Telereal Trillium in the following table. BMS shows no spend with Telereal Trillium for the financial years 2008-09 to 2011-12. Figures for 2013-14 are up to 31 August 2013.
	
		
			 Telereal Trillium 
			  £ 
			 2012-13 370,614.44 
			 2013-14 1,558,616.34

Tuberculosis

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS spends procuring drugs for an average course of (a) latent TB infection treatment, (b) standard drug-sensitive TB treatment, (c) Isoniazid-resistant TB treatment, (d) Rifampicin-resistant TB treatment, (e) multi-drug resistant treatment.

Norman Lamb: This information is not available in the format requested.
	National health service expenditure(1) on anti-tuberculosis drugs(2) dispensed in primary and secondary care in England in 2012 are shown in the following tables.
	(1) Some supplies through homecare providers may not be captured, therefore cost estimates may be under-stated.
	(2) Antituberculosis drugs are defined as those listed in British National Formulary chapter 5.1.9.
	
		
			  Prescription items Net ingredient cost (£) 
			 Primary care cost 59,346 1,571,989 
			 Source: Prescription cost analysis supplied by the Health and Social Care Information Centre. 
		
	
	
		
			  Volume/quantity Cost (£) 
			 Secondary care cost 267,788 (1)5,640,1183 
			 (1) Cost of medicines at NHS list price and not necessarily the price paid. Source: IMS data. IMS Health: Hospital Pharmacy Audit.

Tuberculosis

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the current rate of TB infection in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: The incidence of Tuberculosis (TB) in the United Kingdom is assessed through systematic analysis of notification data obtained from the Enhanced Tuberculosis Surveillance System (ETS) run by Public Health England (PHE). In 2012, a total of 8,751 cases of TB were reported, a rate of 13.9 cases per 100,000 population.
	TB rates in the UK showed a sustained increase from 2000 until 2005, and have remained among the highest in Western Europe. Certain sub-groups, such as new migrants, ethnic minority groups, and those with social risk factors (homelessness, imprisonment or problem drug/alcohol use) have particularly high rates.
	The Department is working with PHE, the national health service, local government and the wider health and social care system to strengthen TB services. Every year, PHE produces an analysis on TB epidemiology in the UK. The latest analysis can be found in the PHE TB annual report, which has been placed in the Library.

Tuberculosis

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the (a) efficacy and (b) possible side effects of the current range of anti-tuberculosis drugs available on the NHS.

Norman Lamb: New drugs for treatment of tuberculosis are assessed for efficacy and safety based on results of clinical trials carried out in accordance with current European Union regulations. A risk-benefit approach is taken to ensure that all licensed medicines provide maximum benefit to the target patient population with minimal risk to patient safety. Some of the anti-tuberculosis drugs commonly used in the national health service have been on the United Kingdom market for many years and assessment of efficacy would have been carried out against the criteria in force at the time of approval.
	As with all medicines used in the UK, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) continually monitors the safety of anti-tuberculosis drugs after they are licensed using all available sources of information. This includes the Yellow Card Scheme for spontaneous reporting of adverse reactions by health care professionals and patients, reports from pharmaceutical companies—which are a legal requirement under UK law and worldwide health authorities, data from clinical and epidemiological studies and the published medical literature. These data are assessed to establish whether the benefits of licensed products continue to outweigh the risks. If necessary, regulatory action is taken to ensure that the medicine is used in a way which minimises risk, and maximises benefits to the patient. The balance of benefits and risks of currently licensed anti tuberculosis drugs continues to be positive.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Absenteeism

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the rates of staff (a) absence and (b) sickness absence in her Department in each of the past five years were; and what the departmental targets were in each case.

Alan Duncan: The information is as follows.
	(a) DFID as with any Department has a number of different types of absence for which employees can apply i.e. paternity leave, adoption leave, special or discretionary leave along with statutory leave i.e. annual leave and maternity leave.
	The majority of non-sickness related absence types are not currently recorded centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	(b) Sickness absence rates for the last five financial years are given in the following table. There are no departmental targets on sickness absence but the DFID Executive Management Committee note DFID sickness rates against overall civil service rates.
	
		
			 Absence rate in average working days lost (AWDL) 
			  Civil service overall DFID 
			 2012-13 7.6 4.2 
			 2011-12 7.8 4.5 
		
	
	
		
			 2010-11 8.4 5.6 
			 2009-10 8.7 5.5 
			 2008-09 9.2 6.9

Accountancy

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her Department has spent on accountants in each year since 2010.

Justine Greening: On fully qualified accountants working in finance roles, DFID spent £1.3 million in 2011-12, £1.4 million in 2012-13 and £1.6 million in 2013-14.

Afghanistan

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  which official in her Department has overall responsibility for delivering her Department's projects in Afghanistan; and who held that position in 2011-12;
	(2)  with reference to the answer of 4 February 2013, Official Report, columns 823-4W, on Afghanistan, if she will name the Deputy Director referred to in that answer.

Justine Greening: It is a convention that individual civil servants are not named in response to answers to parliamentary questions.

Afghanistan

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to the answer of 4 February 2013, Official Report, column 35W, on Afghanistan, whether the consultant's report has been seen by a Minister from her Department.

Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 4 February 2013, Official Report, column 35W.

Africa

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the effect of UK aid to Africa in the last five years.

Justine Greening: The DFID Results Framework is a set of common indicators against which we report achievements of UK aid spend across all our focus countries. DFID publishes a summary of these development results in our annual report. Since 2010, for example, in Africa UK aid has:
	Provided 4.4 million people with insecticide treated bed nets in DRC
	Helped 204,000 individuals become more food secure through the Productive Safety Nets Programme in Ethiopia
	Provided assistance to 11.3 million people to vote in the 2012 Ghana elections
	Provided 130,000 people with sustainable .access to clean drinking water and an improved sanitation facility in Malawi
	Supported 50,000 safe births and 20,000 pregnant women to receive malaria treatment in Mozambique
	Helped over 7 million people gain access to formal financial services in Nigeria
	Supported the issuing of 2.45 million land titles (over 50% to women) in Rwanda
	Supported 520,000 children in primary education in South Sudan
	Helped over 160,000 rural men and women to raise their incomes in Tanzania
	Supported 260,000 women to use modern contraception in Uganda.

Air Travel

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many individual domestic air flights were undertaken within Great Britain by representatives of (a) her Department and (b) its associated public body in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what the cost to the public purse of each such flight was.

Alan Duncan: The number and cost of domestic journeys undertaken by individuals in DFID and the Independent Commission for Aid Impact in 2012-13 are set out as follows:
	(a) Individuals in DFID undertook 2200 individual journeys at a total cost of £243,186
	(b) Individuals in the Independent Commission for Aid Impact undertook one journey at a total cost of £102.
	A breakdown of these journeys into separate flights would be available only at disproportionate cost.

Billing

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many invoices were processed by her Department in the last financial year for which figures are available.

Alan Duncan: DFID processed 42,284 invoices during the 2012-13 financial year. This amount includes all aid programme payments including grants and does not include expense claims and similar payments reimbursed to DFID staff.

Buildings

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what refurbishments to her Department's buildings have been carried out in the last 24 months; and at what cost.

Alan Duncan: Within the last 24 months, DFID has undertaken the following refurbishments at its UK headquarters offices:
	22 Whitehall, London: Refurbishment of whole building prior to taking up occupation in January 2013. Works costs including project management were £2,986,162. The relocation to this building will result in savings of rent and rates of £62.5 million by 2020.
	Abercrombie House, East Kilbride, Scotland: Three refurbishments have been carried out within separate parts of this building in the last two years, at a total cost of £146,880.

Buildings

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the expenditure on office refurbishment by (a) her Department and (b) her Department's non-departmental public body in each year since 2010-11.

Alan Duncan: The refurbishment of 22-26 Whitehall was carried out prior to us taking up occupation at the start of 2013. The move allowed DFID to significantly reduce London estates costs by £62.5 million by 2020, and is cited in the HM Government report “State of the Estate Report 2012” as a positive example of estate rationalisation in action. Minor refurbishments have been carried out in our East Kilbride office to meet changing demands and to create a more, modern working environment.
	Our non-departmental public body, the Independent Commission for Aid Impact, has not incurred any expenditure on office refurbishment.

Buildings

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the number of office relocations made by staff of (a) her Department and (b) her Department's non-departmental public body (i) within the original building and (ii) to other buildings in each year since 2009-10; what the cost of (A) removals and (B) refurbishments related to such moves has been; and on how many occasions offices refurbished by her Department in that period have been used by her Department's staff for less than four years before a further move.

Alan Duncan: DFID has made only one office relocation over this period, the move of our London headquarters from 1 Palace Street into premises at 22-26 Whitehall, SW1. The cost of the building refurbishment was £2,986,162 and the cost of removals was £39,997. This relocation was proposed by the Government Property Unit in accordance with Government policy on the rationalisation of estate, reducing costs by £62.5 million by 2020 and meeting the Government space standard of 10 sq m per person. DFID has not relocated from any offices less than four years from refurbishing that area.
	Our non-departmental public body, the Independent Commission for Aid Impact, has not relocated office since its launch in May 2011.

Carbon Emissions

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much has been spent by her Department on offsetting costs for energy-related carbon dioxide in the last year for which figures are available.

Alan Duncan: DFID will be offsetting energy related carbon emissions for 2012-13 at the next available Government Carbon Offsetting Fund (GCOF) e-auction in November 2013. Our total carbon from energy for 2012-13 was 11,813 tonnes so based on current carbon prices will cost £8,033.

Christmas Cards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her private ministerial office spent on sending Christmas cards in 2012.

Alan Duncan: The Secretary of State’s private office did not spend any money sending Christmas cards in 2012.

Developing Countries: Females

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to ensure that the role of women in civil society is given prominence in the successor to the Millennium Development Goals.

Justine Greening: The UK has placed securing a better future for girls and women at the heart of its development assistance and will continue to do so.
	The UK strongly supports the recommendations of the High Level Panel (HLP) report for a standalone Post-2015 goal on gender equality and girls' and women's empowerment as well as mainstreaming throughout, including the target to eliminate discrimination against women in political, economic, and public life.

Developing Countries: Tuberculosis

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the number of women and girls that die from tuberculosis annually.

Lynne Featherstone: Tuberculosis is one of the main causes of death in women worldwide. Out of an estimated of 1.4 million global deaths from tuberculosis, there were approximately 500,000 deaths among women in 2011.This includes 200,000 HIV-associated deaths from tuberculosis among women. The total number of deaths among children was estimated at 64,000 in 2011. We do not have childhood data disaggregated by gender.

Developing Countries: Tuberculosis

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what comparative assessment she has made of the return on investments in (a) funding and treating tuberculosis and (b) other health interventions.

Lynne Featherstone: The diversity in our portfolio makes it difficult to produce a comparable assessment of the rates of returns of health programmes. DFID has not made a comparative assessment of the return on investments from the funding provided to treat tuberculosis and the support provided to other health interventions.

Egypt

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in Egypt.

Alan Duncan: The humanitarian situation is worsening in Egypt as the number of Syrian refugees continues to rise. With an increase of 10,000 Syrian refugees in the last month, there are now 117,470 Syrian refugees, either registered or known to be awaiting registration in Egypt.
	DFID officials are in discussions with the UN and NGOs to assess the current needs of Syrian refugees in Egypt to see how best we can provide support to them.

Equality

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what steps she is taking to ensure that gender equality is at the heart of her Department's agenda post-2015;
	(2)  what steps her Department is taking to ensure that women's equality and empowerment is part of her Department's agenda after 2015;

Justine Greening: The UK has been clear in its advocacy for a standalone post 2015 goal on gender equality and girls' and women's empowerment as well as mainstreaming these issues through the goals and targets in the framework to be agreed by the UN.
	We are working with others across the international community, including civil society, to ensure this is achieved.

India

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the technical assistance her Department plans to provide to India after 2015 will comprise support for measures to promote equality for women and girls in that country.

Justine Greening: Our new development partnership with India after 2015 will continue to focus on empowerment of women and girls through our technical assistance and private sector programmes.

Ministers' Private Offices

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many full-time equivalent staff of each civil service grade are currently employed in the private office of each Minister in her Department; and what the pay band of each such member of staff is.

Alan Duncan: The full-time equivalent staff headcount for each Minister’s office is:
	
		
			  Full-time equivalent 
			 Secretary of State 9 
			 Minister of State 5.8 
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State 5.6 
		
	
	
		
			 Job grade Salary band (£) 
			 SCS 58,200-117,800 
			 A1 64,048-70,290 
			 A2 52,901-58,160 
			 B1D 26,800-37,195 
			 B1 35,680-35,680 
		
	
	
		
			 B2 28,210-28,210 
			 C1 23,275-23,275 
		
	
	DFID does not include any data that could be personally attributed to an individual in breach of data protection. DFID policy is not to provide any information where the target group is five or fewer, so as to safeguard individual personal data.

Montserrat

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent representations her Department has made to the government of Montserrat in relation to the draft Conservation and Environmental Management Bill.

Alan Duncan: Environmental management and conservation is a key component of the Strategic Growth Plan for Montserrat. As part of that plan, DFID has helped the Government of Montserrat create an appropriate legal and institutional framework for environmental management. The Conservation and Environmental Management Bill has been finalised for submission to Montserrat's Cabinet and Legislative Assembly in October 2013. DFID will provide further technical support for work on environmental and climate change management under this framework if necessary.

Overseas Aid

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to ensure aid funding reaches where it is needed.

Justine Greening: To deliver Government development priorities, the Bilateral Aid Review focused UK aid in countries and regions based on development need and expected effectiveness. The allocation of aid to multilateral organisations following the Multilateral Aid Review took account of how multilateral organisations target their aid spending on countries with high levels of need and impact.

Overseas Aid

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to improve the efficiency of aid spending.

Alan Duncan: DFID already has robust systems in place to deliver efficiency of aid spending. We are determined to ensure that every pound we spend has maximum impact on reducing poverty. DFID regularly reviews its strategy to provide assurance that we are investing where development need is highest and that our interventions and their delivery maximise the impact of every pound spent.

Press: Subscriptions

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which newspapers, periodicals and trade profession publications her private ministerial office subscribes to on a (a) daily, (b) weekly, (c) monthly and (d) quarterly basis.

Alan Duncan: The Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), Private Office does not subscribe to any newspapers, periodicals or trade profession publications.

Public Relations

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her Department and its associated public bodies spent on (a) external public relations consultants and (b) public affairs consultants, in each of the past three years; and for what purposes such consultants were engaged.

Justine Greening: In each of the past three years, DFID's central Communications Division spent nothing on either (a) external public relations consultants or (b) public affairs consultants.

Publications

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list (a) the title and subject, (b) the total cost to her Department and (c) the commissioned author or organisation of each external report commissioned by her Department in each year since 2010.

Alan Duncan: DFID does not hold information centrally on this subject. Each of the country programmes and central divisions would be responsible for commissioning any external reports.

Publishing

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her Department has spent in each of the last three years on hard copy printing of documents for external audiences.

Alan Duncan: DFID's policy is to distribute documents digitally. DFID's financial system does not separately identify expenditure on hard copy printing of documents for external audiences. It is not possible to disaggregate exactly the requested information.

Satellite Broadcasting

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what subscriptions her Department has for premium satellite television channels; and what the cost of each such subscription was in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Alan Duncan: DFID has no premium satellite television subscriptions.

Security

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many departmental identity cards or passes have been reported lost or stolen by staff in her Department since May 2010.

Alan Duncan: The information requested is as follows:
	May to December 2010: 22 lost, one stolen
	2011: 40 lost, three stolen
	2012: 34 lost, four stolen
	2013 to date: 31 lost, one stolen.

Standards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the reasons are for the time taken to publish her Department's Quarterly Data Summary for the second quarter of 2012-13 and the third quarter of 2012-13.

Alan Duncan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided today by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), to this same parliamentary question:
	“The quarter 2 and quarter 3 quarterly data summary (QDS) returns of all 17 departments participating in the QDS process were delayed owing to the development of the Cabinet Office's Government interrogating spending tool (GIST). The GIST was developed in response to recommendations made in Dr. Martin Read's independent report entitled ‘Practical Steps to Improve Management Information in Government’. Before the last general election no such comparable data was published at all that allows the public to access a breakdown of Government expenditure through the Gov. UK website. It makes the process of accessing and analysing complex QDS and OSCAR data easier and quicker, and for these reasons was seen to justify a short delay in publishing QDS data.”

Syria

Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  how much financial assistance announced by her Department for in-country support for Syria has left the UK in the last 12 months; how much has reached Syria; and how much is still in her Department's locations in (a) the UK and (b) Turkey;
	(2)  how much her Department has allocated to in-country support for Syria in each of the last two financial years.

Alan Duncan: The UK has pledged £500 million in humanitarian and development support in response to the crisis in Syria and the region since February 2012. A total figure of £306 million has been allocated to humanitarian partners who are using this to deliver assistance to those affected by the Syria crisis. £141 million is being spent in Syria and £165 million in neighbouring countries such as Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq.
	The remaining £194 million from the £500 million is in the process of being allocated to Syria and its neighbouring countries. Agreements are in the process of being finalised.

Syria

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of comments of Erika Feller, Assistant High Commissioner at the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, that rape is the primary reason for families to leave Syria; what provisions the Government is making for survivors of sexual violence in Syria in receipt of UK aid; and if she will make a statement.

Justine Greening: Over 75% of Syrian refugees receiving humanitarian assistance in neighbouring countries are women and children, many of whom have experienced significant trauma, and who are at on-going risk of abuse. The UK is supporting survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, including funding the International Rescue Committee to deliver gender-based violence prevention activities to benefit 6,000 women and girls; and UNICEF to provide psychosocial and child protection services to 15,000 vulnerable children and their caregivers.

Television

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many flat screen televisions have been purchased by her Department in the last 24 months; and what the cost to the public purse was of such purchases.

Alan Duncan: DFID has purchased three flat screen TVs in the last two years, at a total cost of £2,983.97. The greater proportion of this went towards one large screen in communal space as part of the refurbishment of the new building.

Trillium

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her Department has spent on contracts with Trillium Group in each year since 2008.

Justine Greening: DFID does not list Trillium Group as a supplier and has not entered into any contracts with it.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Accountancy

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has spent on accountants in each year since 2010.

Brandon Lewis: The information is not readily available in the, form requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Affordable Housing

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many affordable homes have been built in the last 12 months in (a) England, (b) London and (c) Lewisham.

Mark Prisk: Statistics on house building completions by tenure in each local authority are published in the Department's live tables 253 (annual) and 253a (quarterly), which are available at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-house-building
	Taken together, the housing association and local authority tenures provide estimates of total social housing completions, but these figures mostly understate total affordable supply. This is because the house building figures are categorised by the type of developer rather than the intended final tenure, leading to under recording of affordable housing, and a corresponding over recording of private enterprise figures.
	More comprehensive statistics on affordable housing completions funded by the Homes and Communities Agency and the Greater London Authority since 2009-10 by tenure are available at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/affordable-housing-starts-and-completions-funded-by-the-hca-and-the-gla-2012-to-2013
	These statistics include both newly built housing and acquisitions but exclude delivery of affordable housing not funded by the Homes and Communities Agency and Greater London Authority programmes that are reported in local authority returns to the Department. A fuller picture of all affordable housing completions is published in the Department's live tables 1000, 1006, 1007 and 1008, which are available at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply

Affordable Housing: North Yorkshire

Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the total level of Government investment in affordable housing in North Yorkshire will be throughout the current Parliament.

Brandon Lewis: The Government's affordable housing programmes are due to deliver £67.5 million of public investment between 2010-11 and 2014-15 across the local authority areas in North Yorkshire.
	Notwithstanding, this figure under-estimates the additional private investment which will be levered in through the Government's schemes. To place this in context, in the current spending review period, the Government is investing £4.5 billion of public investment across England, which will lever in a further £15 billion of private investment into affordable housing.

Billing

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of undisputed invoices to his Department were paid within five days in each of the last 24 months.

Brandon Lewis: holding answer 5 September 2013
	In 2010, a new challenging target was introduced for the Department to aim for 80% of invoices to be paid within five days of receipt; previously, the target was 80% to be paid within 10 days.
	The following table illustrates the monthly performance over the last 12 months against this target. While the precise figures will fluctuate from month to month, our performance has consistently improved over the last three years since the introduction of the new tougher target, rising from 75.7% in 2010-11, to 79.3% in 2011-12, to 81.9% in 2012-13.
	I would thus observe that the record of the Department in paying invoices promptly is far better than that of the last Administration.
	
		
			  Number of undisputed invoices paid within five days Percentage 
			 2013   
			 August 720 85.83 
			 July 808 82.67 
			 June 690 77.54 
			 May 834 79.50 
			 April 741 77.73 
			 March 917 83.32 
			 February 847 83.83 
			 January 777 83.40 
			    
			 2012   
			 December 736 86.14 
			 November 897 85.51 
			 October 871 82.09 
			 September 602 79.57 
			 August 743 82.10 
			 July 842 83.61 
			 June 722 78.12 
			 May 886 76.64 
			 April 823 78.25 
			 March 1,288 74.84 
			 February 1,321 83.19 
			 January 933 73.63 
			    
			 2011   
			 December 826 74.09 
			 November 1,177 83.01 
			 October 1,010 82.48 
			 September 964 79.15 
			 August 950 78.63

Buildings

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many square metres of office space his Department (a) owns and (b) rents in London; and what the value is of that property.

Brandon Lewis: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not own any office space in London. Details of the office space it rents are given as follows:
	
		
			 Location Eland House 
			 Total building (m(2)) 23,002 
			 Area occupied by DCLG (m(2)) 17,539.13 
			 Area occupied by DCLG sub-tenants (m(2)) 5,462.87 
		
	
	As the Department does not own the property, we do not have a current valuation of the building. The Department is scheduled to relocate to 2 Marsham Street with the Home Office next year, delivering annual savings of around £9 million for DCLG and around £24 million for the Government.

Children: Homelessness

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many children were homeless in (a) Birkenhead constituency, (b) the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, (c) the Liverpool City Region and (d) the UK in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to address child homelessness in (a) Birkenhead constituency, (b) the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral and (c) the Liverpool City Region.

Mark Prisk: The available information is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of households found to be unintentionally homeless and in priority need that contain dependent children or an expectant mother, April to June 2013 Minimum number of children in these households(1, 2), April to June 2013 Total number of households with children or an expectant mother in temporary accommodation on 30 June 2013 Total number of children/expected children in temporary accommodation on 30 June 2013 
			 England 9,870 16,100 43,090 79,680 
			 Liverpool City Region(3) 87 150 48 89 
			 Wirral 26 40 8 16 
			 (1) Excludes households who are homeless because of an emergency because the number of children in such households is not counted . England had 38 households accepted as homeless in an emergency, of which one was in Sefton. (2 )The PIE return has three categories for number of dependent children in households accepted as being homeless, one child, two children and three or more children. In the absence of precise information, the numbers given in the table are based on the assumption that each household in the 'three or more' category includes just three children. This may lead to a small under-estimate of the total number of children in households accepted as homeless. (3 )Liverpool city region is the area covered by the local enterprise partnership for the Liverpool area. It comprises the local authority areas of Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral. Source: PIE returns from local authorities. 
		
	
	Separate figures are not collected for parliamentary constituencies, but the Birkenhead constituency lies within the metropolitan borough of Wirral, for which figures are given in the table.
	Totals for the United Kingdom have not been given in the table, because figures for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are a matter for the relevant devolved administration. Further information on homelessness statistics for these areas is given on pages 16 and 17 of the “Statutory Homelessness: April to June Quarter 2013 England” statistical release, which is available at
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statutory-homelessness-in-england-april-to-june-2013
	The law is clear—no child should be without a roof over their head. Any child, under 18, who becomes homeless and without anyone to look after them is a child in need. They must be housed by a local authority and supported by Children's Services. Where a child is homeless because their parents are homeless then that family is protected by the homelessness legislation and must be housed under the homelessness legislation. When a family is unable to care for a child under 18 then that child must be taken into care.
	We want children to be able to stay with their families in secure and settled homes and we want to help local authorities support these families before they reach crisis point. We are investing £470 million in homelessness prevention over four years of the spending review period—funding going to all local authorities and the voluntary sector. We are continuing to support local authorities to raise their game with an additional £1.7 million over two years (2012-13 to 2013-14), for a new Gold Standard support and training scheme across the country to deliver the best possible service to those that are at risk of homelessness.
	We have also worked closely with leading voluntary sector organisations and local authorities to develop and promote a positive youth accommodation pathway for those who cannot stay within the family network or are leaving care. The pathway approach offers tailored accommodation options and a supportive transition into adulthood, helping young people to avoid the crisis of homelessness.

Children: Poverty

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effect of his Department's policies on child poverty in (a) Birkenhead constituency, (b) the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral and (c) the Liverpool City Region.

Brandon Lewis: In common with all Government Departments, DCLG carries out and publishes impact assessments when formulating policy. Impact assessments are published at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-communities-and-local-government
	Under the Child Poverty Act, each local authority is required to do a needs assessment of child poverty in its areas, and working with partners, introduce a local strategy to tackle the local problems.

Christmas Cards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his private ministerial office spent on sending Christmas cards in 2012.

Brandon Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer by my hon. Friend, the Member for Bromley and Chislehurst, of 20 December 2010, Official Report, Column 941W.
	That answer outlines that whereas the last Administration was spending £2,855 a year on departmental cards, Ministers in this Government have spent nothing; instead, we have produced in-house and sent an electronic Christmas card each year.
	Notwithstanding, that answer also outlines this Government's support for celebrating Christmas and marking the importance of the birth of Christ. By contrast, as outlined in the answer of 10 December 2007, Official Report, column 116W, to my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), the last Administration otherwise did nothing to support the public celebration of Christmas. Since I do not have access to papers of the last Administration, I am unable to ascertain whether this was because Labour Ministers were (a) Scrooges or (b) Grinches.

Council Housing

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans his Department has to increase the supply of one and two bedroom local authority properties.

Mark Prisk: Under the new self-financing system introduced in 2012, local authority landlords keep all the rental income from the properties they own and make their own decisions about how they re-invest this in existing and new homes. In making those decisions, we expect local authorities to consider the objectively assessed need for market and affordable homes of different sizes, including smaller homes, in their area.
	Alongside councils' own house building programmes, the Government's Affordable Homes Programme provides funding for new affordable homes across the country through a competitive process. The assessment of bids takes account of the extent to which bids meet local identified needs, including the need for smaller homes.

Council Tax

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment he has made of the time taken by the Valuation Office to allocate council tax bandings to new properties; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: holding answer 9 September 2013
	Information from operational systems shows that in the 2012-13 financial year, the Valuation Office Agency took an average of 11 days to update the England and Wales council tax valuation lists with new or revised council tax bandings. A breakdown of time taken to allocate new council tax properties is not currently available and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Council Tax

Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the monetary benefit to the average household of the freeze in council tax in the current Parliament in (a) Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency, (b) North Yorkshire and (c) England.

Brandon Lewis: We estimate that the council tax freeze could save a Band D householder in England up to £1,100 over the lifetime of this Parliament. We have made no estimate of savings for areas covering individual local authorities or MPs' constituencies.
	I would note that Band D council tax bills in the Harrogate borough council area rose by 137% (+£898) from 1997-98 to 2010-11. By contrast, over the last three years, they have risen by only 0.1% (+£1), a significant cut in real terms thanks to this Government's council tax freeze.

Council Tax

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of properties in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire, (c) the East Midlands and (d) England are graded at Band E for the purposes of council tax.

Brandon Lewis: In October 2012, Ashfield borough council reported that 2.2% of all domestic dwellings in their area were categorised as Band E for the purpose of council tax. In Nottinghamshire (including the City of Nottingham unitary authority) the figure was 5.0% and the figure for England as a whole was 9.4%. Data are not collected at constituency level.
	As outlined in the written ministerial statement of 18 September 2012, Official Report, columns 32-33WS, my Department no longer publishes statistics by Government office region. The local authority figures used to calculate the figures above, and from which regional figures can be calculated, can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/136026/2012_Local_Authority_ level_data_2.xls
	Data on dwellings by council tax band are as reported to the Department for Communities and Local Government by all billing authorities in England on the annual Council Tax Base return.

Empty Property: East Midlands

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the number of unoccupied residential properties in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) the East Midlands.

Mark Prisk: Data for Ashfield constituency are not collected centrally. The constituency falls within the local authority districts of Ashfield and Broxtowe.
	Data on vacant dwellings by tenure and district can be found in live table 615 which is available at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-dwelling-stock-including-vacants
	This table brings together figures on vacant dwellings in England drawn from several separately published sources.

Housing Benefit: North West

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will make an assessment of the availability of affordable one bedroom homes for single person households to downsize into in (a) Birkenhead constituency, (b) the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral and (c) the Liverpool city region.

Mark Prisk: DCLG publishes information on the number of one bedroom properties and the total number of vacant properties owned by local authorities annually. The latest information is on my Department's website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/local-authority-housing-statistics-data-returns-for-2011-to-2012
	The Homes and Communities Agency publishes statistics by local authority district on the number of one bedroom properties and the total number of vacant properties owned by private registered providers. The information for 2012-13 can be found in the full data spreadsheet accompanying the Statistical Data Release published by the agency:
	http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/news/second-statistical-data-return
	Data by constituency is not collected.
	The number of properties available for letting will vary throughout the year.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of social houses in the UK which have rooms of less than 50 square feet and which are currently classed as bedrooms;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of social houses in the UK which have rooms between 50 and 70 square feet and which are currently classed as bedrooms.

Brandon Lewis: This information is not collected centrally.

Housing: Construction

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer from the right hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich on 4 February 2013, Official Report, column 12, on house building, what the evidential basis was for the statement that there will be at least 400,000 additional homes as a direct result of the New Homes Bonus.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 13 September 2013
	The New Homes Bonus rewards the delivery of new housing supply, including getting long-term empty properties back into productive use.
	As announced in the written statement of 1 February 2013, Official Report, columns 63-64WS, to date, the scheme has rewarded the creation of over 400,000 new homes and over 50,000 long-term empty homes being brought back into use.
	The underlying data is derived from council tax base forms collected from local authorities, and is based on valuations by the independent Valuation Office Agency. The affordable housing premium is measured using separate affordable supply and Traveller caravan count data.

Housing: East Midlands

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new homes in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) the East Midlands have been built as a result of the New Homes Bonus to date.

Brandon Lewis: Data for Ashfield constituency are not collected centrally. The constituency falls within the local authority districts of Ashfield and Broxtowe.
	Following the abolition of regional government by the coalition, DCLG no longer publishes statistics at a regional level and does not believe that regions provide a coherent or meaningful framework for assessing public policy. Instead, our published statistics relate, where relevant, to other sub-national geographies which are more aligned with public policy.
	The New Homes Bonus is paid to authorities in respect of increases they deliver in their effective housing stock. Nationally, £1.3 billion has been allocated, recognising over 400,000 additions to stock and over 55,000 empty properties brought back into use. For the three years of the bonus the figures requested are set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Authority Total stock increase Additions to stock(2) Empty Homes(3) Funding allocated (£ million) 
			 Ashfield and Broxtowe 2,025 1,862 163 3.92 
			 County of Nottinghamshire(1) 8,989 7,554 1,435 22.47 
			 (1) County of Nottinghamshire consists of total awards for Nottinghamshire county council plus all district councils and Nottingham city council. (2) Additions to stock consists of new build properties, plus conversions, plus additions to stock as a result of change of use, minus demolitions. (3) Empty Homes is the net number of long-term empty homes (more than six months) brought back into use.

Local Government

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of (a) audit and (b) inspection of local government in each year since 2010.

Brandon Lewis: The Department for Communities and Local Government made estimates of audit and inspection costs related to the work of the Audit Commission as part of the impact assessment for the Local Audit and Accountability Bill, available here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-audit-and-accountability-bill-local-audit-impact-assessment
	This Government has taken a series of steps to scale back unnecessary local government inspection and ineffective audit regimes. The abolition of the Audit Commission and the setting up of the new audit regime is estimated to deliver net savings of £1.2 billion of taxpayers' money over a 10 year period.

Local Government Finance

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to announce allocations of the Housing and Council Tax Benefit Administration grant for 2015-16.

Brandon Lewis: DCLG aims to keep the timeline regarding the announcement of the council tax support administrative subsidy for 2015-16 allocation in line with the announcement of DWP's housing benefit administrative subsidy. This would mean local authorities would be notified in September 2014 of both funding streams—six months before the start of the 2015-16 financial year.

Local Government: Procurement

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to ensure that more local authorities use Contracts Finder.

Brandon Lewis: All local authority contract opportunities should be open and transparent to allow a wide range of suppliers to bid for business. In May, Lord Young recommended that all contract opportunities should be located in one place, using Contracts Finder as a single platform. We are currently consulting on this proposal, alongside a package of further reforms to open up public sector procurement to small and medium businesses. The consultation can be accessed at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/making-public-sector-procurement-more-accessible-to-smes
	The ‘Code of Recommended Practice for Local Authorities on Data Transparency’, issued in September 2011, recommended that all copies of contracts and tenders to businesses and to the voluntary community and social enterprise' sector were published. In December 2012 we carried out a public consultation on updating the code and making it mandatory in order to ensure greater accountability. We will publish the Government's response shortly.

Ministers' Private Offices

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many full-time equivalent staff of each Civil Service grade are currently employed in the private office of each Minister in his Department; and what the pay band of each such member of staff is.

Brandon Lewis: As the hon. Member will be aware from his time as a Special Adviser in the (then) Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, ministerial private offices are a key link in handling ministerial correspondence, organising the ministerial diaries, supporting Ministers on external engagements and' visits, conveying Ministers' views to officials and overseeing the provision of advice to Ministers, handling communications and policy discussions with other Government Departments, and providing Ministers with general information and views from their Departments.
	There are 29 full-time staff working in DCLG private offices, broken down as follows:
	
		
			 Secretary of State 
			 Payband Total 
			 SCSPB1 1 
			 PB6.1 1 
			 PB4.9 2 
			 PB3.2 3 
		
	
	
		
			 Senior Minister of State for Faith and Communities 
			 Payband Total 
			 PB6.1 1 
			 PB3.2 1 
			 Note: The table shows full-time staff supporting the Senior Minister of State, Faith and Communities, on her DCLG portfolio. It excludes FCO private office staff. 
		
	
	
		
			 Minister of State (Housing) 
			 Payband Total 
			 PB6.1 1 
			 PB4.9 1 
			 PB4.3 2 
		
	
	
		
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Planning) 
			 Payband Total 
			 PB6.1 1 
			 PB4.3 2 
			 PB2.1 1 
		
	
	
		
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State 
			 Payband Total 
			 PB4.3 1 
			 PB3.2 2 
			 PB2.1 1 
		
	
	
		
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State 
			 Payband Total 
			 PB4.9 1 
			 PB3.2 2 
			 PB2.1 1 
		
	
	
		
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Lords) 
			 Payband Total 
			 PB4.9 1 
			 PB3.2 2 
			 PB2.1 1 
		
	
	I also refer the hon. Member to my answer of 4 February 2013, Official Report, column 42W, which outlined how we cut the administrative costs of private offices by 31% compared to the last Administration and which noted that the cost of ministerial private offices represent just 0.5% of the Department's overall running costs.

Non-domestic Rates

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of the total (a) number of businesses benefiting from small business rate relief and (b) value of support offered under small business rate relief relates to businesses (i) in the retail sector and (ii) occupying a retail unit.

Brandon Lewis: holding answer 12 September 2013
	We estimate that approximately half a million businesses in England are benefiting from the small business rate relief scheme. As the Government has currently doubled the level of small business rate relief, we estimate that approximately a third of a million ratepayers are currently paying no rates at all.
	For the year 2013-14, local authorities have estimated they will grant small business rate relief to the value of £900 million. The value of small business rate relief granted has almost trebled under this Government. Data were collected on the annual national non-domestic rates (NNDR1) forecast return completed by all billing authorities in England.
	Data are collected at billing authority level; we do not collect data by type of business or the premises they occupy.

Private Rented Housing

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to raise awareness of private tenants' rights in case of landlord bankruptcy;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to improve protections for private tenants in the case of eviction due to landlord bankruptcy.

Mark Prisk: The Tenants Protection Act 2010: which came into effect on 1 October 2010, gives rights to private tenants who have to leave their home because it is getting repossessed by their landlord's mortgage lender.
	The Act enables tenants to be heard at repossession hearings and gives courts the powers to delay repossession by up to two months. This ensures that tenants have sufficient time to move and have the same rights of notice as other private tenants. The Act also requires the mortgage lender to send a notice to tenants when they are applying to enforce the possession.
	To inform mortgage lenders, landlords and tenants of their rights and responsibilities under the Mortgage Repossessions (Protection of Tenants etc) Act 2010, my Department has published guidance which can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/5933/1729687.pdf

Private Rented Housing

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many private landlords were declared bankrupt in each of the last five years.

Mark Prisk: We do not hold this information. While the Individual Insolvency Register holds information on individuals who have been made bankrupt, it does not include details of whether or not they had been acting as private landlords at the time.

Private Rented Housing

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions he has held with private tenants' organisations regarding eviction due to landlord bankruptcy.

Brandon Lewis: Information on all meetings held by DCLG Ministers with external organisations are published every quarter on the Government's website at
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-communities-and-local-government/series/dclg-ministerial-data

Private Rented Housing

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will rank each English local authority by the percentage change in the proportion of housing stock made up of private housing for rent between 2001 and 2011.

Brandon Lewis: Historical data on privately rented dwelling stock is estimated for England but not districts and can be found in live table 104 which is available at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-dwelling-stock-including-vacants

Private Rented Housing: Rents

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of how many household rents in the private rented sector fell below the average rent within each local authority area in the UK in each year since 2010-11.

Mark Prisk: We have made no such estimate. However the Valuation Office Agency publishes some indicative estimates of private rent levels by local authority. These are available online, respectively for 2011-12 and 2012-13, and can be found at:
	www.voa.gov.uk/corporate/statisticalReleases/120531_PrivateResidentialRentalMarketStatistics.html
	and
	http://www.voa.gov.uk/corporate/statisticalReleases/130530_PrivateRentalMarket.html

Procurement

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment his Department makes of the (a) payment of minimum wage, (b) payment of living wage and (c) use of zero hours contracts when tendering for public procurement contracts.

Brandon Lewis: The minimum wage is a legal obligation, which we would expect all contractors to follow as a matter of course.
	In relation to the living wage, I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 15 April 2013, Official Report, column 221W.
	The use of zero hour contracts is a matter for individual contractors; however, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has announced a consultation on the issues surrounding zero-hours contracts to ensure fairness for all employees.

Public Houses

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to support community pubs.

Brandon Lewis: My Department is taking the following steps to support community pubs:
	The Assets of Community Value Regulations implementing the community right to bid provisions of the Localism Act 2011 are giving communities a fairer chance to bid to take over local assets of community value, including pubs.
	Research by the Campaign for Real Ale shows that 100 pubs are now listed as assets of community value.
	A £19 million support programme to help eligible community organisations to take on the community ownership and management of assets that are important to them, including pubs, is in place.
	We also provide funding for business partners, such as Pub is the Hub and the Plunkett Foundation, to expand their work in helping communities to bring their pubs into community ownership and to diversify or innovate their provision of services.
	The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that to deliver the social, recreational and cultural facilities that communities need, planning policies and decisions should provide for the use of such facilities, including pubs, and guard against their unnecessary loss.
	The Localism Act helps make small business rate relief automatic, and we have doubled small business rate relief from October 2010 to March 2014.
	In addition, the Government has not only scrapped the last Administration's plans for a 10% rise in cider duties (the so-called cider tax). At Budget 2013 we cut beer duty, amounting to a pint of average strength beer being reduced by lp, and scrapped the beer escalator which would have further increased beer duty by 3p this year. This move has been warmly welcomed across the pub and brewing industry.
	Pubs have also benefited from action the Government has taken to reduce red tape affecting the pub sector. For example, we have provided greater flexibility on weights and measures, allowing beer and wine to be sold in different sizes than was previously allowed by regulations, and have made it easier for pubs to play live music.

Public Libraries: Conditions of Employment

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many library staff employed by local authorities in England were employed on a zero-hours contract in each of the last 5 years for which records are available.

Brandon Lewis: This information is not centrally held.

Publishing

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has spent in each of the last three years on hard copy printing of documents for external audiences.

Brandon Lewis: In “50 ways to save”—my Department's guide to local councils on practical ways to make sensible savings—we recommended that councils can cut printing costs, by stopping the production of unnecessary glossy brochures and publishing more documents online.
	The following table shows how we have delivered significant savings by introducing this in our own Department, saving almost £4 million a year since 2010.
	
		
			 Printing and publishing £ 
			 2008-09 4.6 million 
			 2009-10 4.2 million 
			 April 2010 43,613 
			 May 2010 to March 2011 282,083 
			 April 2011 to March 2012 282,839 
			 April 2012 to March 2013 306,830 
			 Note: The figures are for printing and publishing combined. It is not possible to differentiate between the two categories. 
		
	
	The Department now produces most publications digitally by default. I would note that Parliament continues to require some documents to be hard copy printed for the benefit of hon. Members. A small number of publications may be hard copy printed for disability or access/exclusion reasons.

Rented Housing: Electrical Safety

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 18 July 2013, Official Report, column 908W, on rented housing: electrical safety, what progress he has made with the review of licensing; what action he intends to take as a result of this review; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Williams: Following a parliamentary debate on 3 July 2013, Official Report, columns 297-303WH, on the issue of selective licensing, my Department contacted all English local housing authorities and requested information on their experience of licensing, whether selective or voluntary, of private rented housing in their area, including information on the type of conditions that are typically attached to such licenses. The purpose of gathering this information was to help to inform any update of the current guidance for local authorities on selective licensing.
	The closing date for responses was 30 September. My officials will now consider all responses received. A summary of responses to the information gathering exercise will be made available in due course.

Social Rented Housing

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  if he will rank each English local authority by the percentage change in the proportion of housing stock made up of social housing for rent between 1986 and the most recent year for which figures are available;
	(2)  if he will rank each English local authority by the actual change in the number of units of social housing for rent between 1986 and the most recent year for which figures are available.

Brandon Lewis: The Department does not hold a complete set of figures at local authority district level to fully answer these questions. The information published by the Department can provide social housing stock as a proportion of total housing stock from 2009 and numbers of social housing stock from 1997.
	These data are available from the Department's statistical tables at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-dwelling-stock-including-vacants
	Private Registered Provider (housing association) stock can be found in live table 115, local authority-owned stock can be found in live table 116. These can be summed to provide an estimate of social housing stock. Total housing stock can be found in live table 100.

Standards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the reasons are for the time taken to publish his Department's Quarterly Data Summary for the second quarter of 2012-13 and the third quarter of 2012-13.

Brandon Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), to PQ 168815.

Telephone Services

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which of his Department's services and executive agencies require the use of premium rate telephone numbers.

Brandon Lewis: My Department and its agencies do not require the use of premium rate telephone numbers.
	I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 10 June 2013, Official Report, column 142W, on our use of low-cost 030 numbers.

Television

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many flat screen televisions have been purchased by his Department in the last 24 months; and what the cost to the public purse was of such purchases.

Brandon Lewis: The Department has not purchased any flat screen televisions in the last 24 months.
	To place this in context, the Department in the last Parliament under the previous Administration spent £22,527 on four flat-screen televisions, equivalent to £5,632 per television (as outlined in the answers of 1 September 2009, Official Report, column 1832W and 16 December 2009, Official Report, column 1265W.

Travel

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many individual domestic air flights were undertaken within Great Britain by representatives of (a) his Department and (b) its associated public bodies in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what the cost to the public purse of each such flight was.

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent on travel for departmental officials in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: The respective information that is centrally held has been placed in the Library of the House.
	On total travel, the central Department spent £1.3 million in 2012-13, compared to £1.5 million in 2009-10.
	The Department spent £55,895 on air travel (including international flights) in 2012-13 compared to £94,683 in 2009-10. This equates to a 41% reduction since 2009-10.
	Reflecting our responsibilities for local government, housing, planning and communities, the work of the Department involves staff travelling to different parts of the country; domestic flights for longer journeys can avoid the need for paying for staff to stay in a hotel overnight. Work relating to the European Union and the Council of Europe in particular also necessitates overseas travel.
	The Department has reduced its travel spend since May 2010 through greater use of video conferencing, the introduction of controls around the booking of rail travels and above threshold hotel bookings and the appointment of a small business to electronically book travel at cheaper rates.
	In 2011-12, the Department accepted responsibility for some new functions outside of London, including oversight of the European Regional Development Fund following the abolition of the regional development agencies and residual functions following the closure of the Government offices for the regions. As these business functions relate to work in areas outside of London, this has therefore increased our domestic and overseas travel spend compared to 2010-11. However, this is more than offset by the very significant savings to taxpayers of the abolition of these regional bodies.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment his Department has made of the cost to local authorities of clearing up unauthorised traveller encampments; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: This information is not collected centrally. However, the Government is concerned about the cost and disruption that can be caused by unauthorised traveller encampments. That is why on 9 August 2013 we sent all council leaders updated guidance, reminding them to act swiftly and setting out the strong powers councils and landowners have to remove illegal and unauthorised sites on both public and private land. This includes guidance on councils' recently strengthened Temporary Stop Notices powers.

Trillium

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has spent on contracts with Trillium Group in each year since 2008.

Brandon Lewis: My Department has no direct spend with Trillium Group.

TREASURY

Accountancy

Michael Dugher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on accountants in each year since 2010.

Nicky Morgan: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Bank Services

Richard Fuller: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward legislative proposals to prevent banks from using money in a credit card account to settle that account in advance of the due date without the permission of the customer.

Sajid Javid: Banks have a legal right of set-off. This means that a bank may recover a debt owed by a customer on one account from sums held in another account.
	The Lending Code and the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) Banking Conduct of Business Sourcebook (BCOBS) provides industry guidance that sets out the way banks and building societies should treat their customers when using the right of set-off.

Billing

Nick de Bois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many creditors to his Department owed more than £10,000 remained unpaid for more than (a) 30 days, (b) 45 days, (c) 60 days, (d) 75 days and (e) more than 90 days in each of the last three years.

Sajid Javid: The following table shows the number of invoices paid valued at more than £10,000 and the number that took more than 30 days to pay, in each year since 1 November 2008:
	
		
			  2008-09(1) 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Total number of invoices received over £10,000 646 1,335 1,025 849 774 
			 Paid within 30 days 635 1,328 1,021 847 770 
			       
			 Paid after 30 days      
			 31-45 6 5 2 0 4 
			 46-60 2 0 2 2 0 
			 61-75 0 0 0 0 0 
			 76-90 2 1 0 0 0 
			 91 + 1 1 0 0 0 
			 (1) 1 November 2008 to 31 March 2009. 
		
	
	Invoices over £10,000 represented 17% of all invoices in 2008-09 (1 November 2008 to 31 March 2009 only), 21% in 2009-10 and 2010-11, 20% in 2011-12 and 18% in 2012-13. Details of the Department's payment performance against the Government's policy of paying all undisputed invoices within five days is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hm-treasury-group-payment-performance

Billing

Mike Freer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many invoices were processed by his Department in the last financial year for which figures are available.

Sajid Javid: The Financial Operations department processes invoices on behalf of HM Treasury and its arm’s lengths bodies. The following table provides details of the amount of invoices processed during 2012-13.
	
		
			  Number 
			 HMT 4,256 
			 DMO 1,217 
			 APA 110 
			 UKFI 236 
			 OBR 91 
			 Total 5,910

Children: Day Care

Lucy Powell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of families with children aged under five which would be eligible for the tax-free childcare scheme under the proposals published for consultation on 5 August 2013.

Sajid Javid: The Government estimates that when fully implemented the new tax-free childcare scheme announced at Budget 2013 will be available to up to 2.5 million families with children under 12.
	Further information on the numbers of families (including those with children under five) who will be eligible for the new scheme for tax-free child care will not be available until the consultation launched on 5 August is complete and the policy details have been fully defined.

Children: Day Care

Lucy Powell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what employers he has met to discuss the proposed shift from childcare vouchers to the tax-free childcare scheme.

Sajid Javid: As part of the consultation on Tax Free Childcare, HM Treasury officials have met with a wide range of stakeholders including parent and family groups, representatives from the child care and voucher industries, employer representative bodies, members of the payroll and HR industries, and individual employers. They will continue to do so throughout the consultation period.

Cooperative Bank

David Ward: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to monitor the proposed recapitalisation of the Co-operative Bank.

Sajid Javid: holding answer 12 September 2013
	Both the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) are monitoring the Co-op Bank closely throughout the process of its current liability management exercise. The PRA is working to ensure that the firm is put on a sound financial footing and the FCA is working to ensure that consumers are afforded an appropriate degree of protection.
	HM Treasury engages with these regulatory authorities on all relevant aspects of their regulatory activity, in accordance with their published approach to fulfilling their regulatory responsibilities.

Cooperative Group

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether he plans to investigate the Financial Conduct Authority's role in allowing a false market in securities issued by the Co-operative Group or the Co-operative Bank;
	(2)  whether he plans to conduct an inquiry into the actions of the regulators in allowing a false market in securities issued by the Co-operative Group or the Co-operative Bank;
	(3)  whether the Co-operative Group or the Co-operative Bank or their directors will be investigated for allowing a false market in securities issued by either company.

Sajid Javid: The FCA is responsible for ensuring an appropriate degree of protection for consumers of financial services. This includes consideration of whether a firm has allowed the creation of a false market in securities. This question has been passed to FCA, who will reply to the hon. Gentleman directly by letter. A copy of the letter will be laid in the Library of the House. The Treasury has no current plans for an inquiry into the regulators' role in respect of this issue.

Disposable Income: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average disposable income was in each constituency in Wales in each of the last 60 months.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average disposable income was in each constituency in Wales in each the last 60 months. (169235).
	Table 1 shows the average net weekly equivalised household income for all parliamentary constituencies in Wales, before housing costs, for the financial year 2007/08. These are the only figures which are available at this level of geography over the last 60 months, and are derived from the small area income estimates published by ONS. Between 2001/02 and 2007/08 small area income estimates were produced on a triennial basis.
	The income figures are equivalised to account for different household sizes and compositions, and so give a more consistent indication of households' material standard of living. ONS does not currently produce monthly household income data.
	At present, the future production of small area income and poverty statistics is subject to a public consultation
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/about-ons/get-involved/consultations/consultations/statistical-products-2013/index.html
	Subject to the outcome of this consultation, the next planned estimates will be for the period 2011/12 and will include data from the 2011 Census.
	The small area income estimates, as with any involving sample surveys, are subject to margins of error. Similarly, the parliamentary constituency level estimates derived from these data are also subject to margins of error.
	
		
			 Table 1: Average net weekly equivalised household income in each parliamentary constituency in Wales 2007-08(1, 2, 3, 4) 
			  £ per week 2007/08 mean income (before housing costs) 
			 Aberavon 420 
			 Aberconwy 420 
			 Atyn and Deeside 450 
			 Arfon 400 
			 Blaenau Gwent 400 
			 Brecon and Radnorshire 420 
			 Bridgend 470 
			 Caerphilly 430 
			 Cardiff Central 450 
			 Cardiff North 570 
		
	
	
		
			 Cardiff South and Penarth 450 
			 Cardiff West 490 
			 Carmarthen East and Dinefwr 400 
			 Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire 390 
			 Ceredigion 410 
			 Clwyd South 420 
			 Clwyd West 400 
			 Cynon Valley ' 390 
			 Delyn 450 
			 Dwyfor Meirionnydd 370 
			 Gower 460 
			 Islwyn 410 
			 Llanelli 400 
			 Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney 400 
			 Monmouth 450 
			 Montgomeryshire 390 
			 Neath 420 
			 Newport East 440 
			 Newport West 470 
			 Ogmore 420 
			 Pontypridd 420 
			 Preseli Pembrokeshire 390 
			 Rhondda 380 
			 Swansea East 410 
			 Swansea West 430 
			 Torfaen 420 
			 Vale of Clwyd 410 
			 Vale of Glamorgan 450 
			 Wrexham 460 
			 Ynys Mon 410 
			 (1) Incomes are presented net of income tax payments, national insurance contributions and council tax. (2) Figures rounded to the nearest £10. (3) Data for both years are according to the 2010 parliamentary constituency boundaries. (4) Data are presented in current prices (unadjusted for the effects of inflation). Source: Office for National Statistics

Income Tax

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the income tax paid in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13 by people in the highest one per cent income bracket; and what proportion this represented of total UK income tax paid in those years;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the total amount of income tax paid in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13 by people with an income of more than £1,000,000; how many people had a taxable income of more than £1,000,000 in each of those years; and what proportion this represented of total UK income tax paid in those years.

David Gauke: The share of income tax paid by highest income taxpayers in 2013-14 will be higher than at the start of this Parliament.
	This year the top 0.1% of taxpayers (income above £690,000) are forecast to contribute more to income tax than at any point this millennium (14.1%). The top 1% of taxpayers (earning over £160,000) are expected to pay more than a quarter (29.8%) of the income tax bill in 2013-14.
	Those with the highest incomes are forecast to contribute more to income tax this year than under any year of the previous Government.
	
		
			  Share of income tax paid by group 
			  Top 1% Top 0.1% Income > £1 million 
			 1996-97 20.0 — — 
			 1997-98 20.0 — — 
			 1998-99 21.0 — — 
			 1999-2000 21.3 8.4 — 
			 2000-01 22.2 8.7 — 
			 2001-02 21.8 8.1 — 
			 2002-03 21 7.5 — 
			 2003-04 20.8 7.5 — 
			 2004-05 21.4 8.0 — 
			 2005-06 22.7 8.6 — 
			 2006-07 23.5 9.2 — 
			 2007-08 24.4 10.0 — 
			 2008-09(1) * * * 
			 2009-10 26.5 11.5 8.7 
			 2010-11 25 10.5 6.4 
			 2011-12(2) 27.5 12.3 8.8 
			 2012-13(2) 26.9 11.6 8.1 
			 2013-14(2) 29.8 14.1 11.8 
			 (1) Data for 2008-09 is unavailable. (2) Projections from 2010-11 SPI data consistent with OBR’s March 2013 Economic and Fiscal Outlook.

Income Tax: Pensioners

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue has accrued to the public purse via income tax from pensioners in (a) Scotland and (b) Kilmarnock and Loudon constituency in each of the last five years.

David Gauke: Estimates for the number of taxpayers of state pension age and their income tax liabilities for the years 2005-06 to 2010-11 are shown in the following tables.
	
		
			 Table 1: Scotland 
			 Tax Year Number of taxpayers of state pension age (thousands) Income tax liability (£ billions) 
			 2005-06(1) 423 0.83 
			 2006-07(1) 465 1.02 
			 2007-08(1) 499 1.20 
			 2009-10(1) 466 1.21 
			 2010-11(1) 532 1.25 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Kilmarnock and Loudon constituency 
			 Tax year Number of taxpayers of state pension age (thousands) Income tax liability (£ millions) 
			 2005-06(1) 7 10.0 
			 2006-07(1) 7 11.5 
			 2007-08 8 14.9 
			 2009-10(1) 7 12.5 
		
	
	
		
			 2010-11(1) 9 14.7 
			 (1 )These estimates are based on the Survey of Personal Incomes for the relevant year. Please note information for the year 2008-09 is not available due to a delay in production. Note: Furthermore, reliable estimates are not available for parliamentary constituency level (for the projections years 2011-12 onwards), due to greater uncertainties in making projections for small geographical areas.

Individual Savings Accounts

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of how many people have taken out stocks and shares ISAs in each of the last 14 years;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of how many people held stocks and shares ISAs on 31 December 2012.

Sajid Javid: The following table contains the number of individuals holding stocks and shares ISA accounts as of 5 April of each of the last 14 years where data are available.
	
		
			  Number of individuals (Thousand) 
			 2000 4,060 
			 2001 5,844 
			 2002 5,786 
			 2003 5,810 
			 2004 6,017 
			 2005 6,247 
			 2006 6,009 
			 2007 6,194 
			 2008 6,577 
			 2009 8,065 
			 2010 7,420 
			 2011 7,776 
			 2012 n/a 
			 2013 n/a 
		
	
	The following table contains the number of individuals who made a subscription to a stocks and shares ISA account during each of the last 14 financial years where data are available.
	
		
			  Number of individuals (Thousand) 
			 1999-2000 4,250 
			 2000-01 4,385 
			 2001-02 3,613 
			 2002-03 3,373 
			 2003-04 2,739 
			 2004-05 2,514 
			 2005-06 2,918 
			 2006-07 3,031 
			 2007-08 3,169 
			 2008-09 3,167 
			 2009-10 3,025 
			 2010-11 3,385 
			 2011-12 n/a 
			 2012-13 n/a 
		
	
	Estimates of the number of individuals holding or subscribing to ISA accounts on 31 December 2012 are not available.

Minimum Wage

David Lammy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what sum in wage arrears was identified as a result of complaints to HM Revenue and Customs on payment of wages below the national minimum wage in (a) the UK and (b) London in each year since 1998-99.

David Gauke: HMRC enforces national wage legislation on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills and has 10 teams in 17 locations across the UK carrying out enforcement activity. It investigates every complaint that is referred to it and also carry out targeted enforcement where it identifies a high risk of non-payment of NMW.
	HMRC does not capture complaints or the outcomes of its investigations by reference to Government regions or country. Its management information relates to the work of teams who are multi-located. Additionally, because it resources to risk, work relating to a specific geographical area is not always done by the NMW team based in that area.
	The data in the following table relate to arrears identified nationally as a result of complaints to HM Revenue and Customs. This excludes arrears identified through targeted enforcement work.
	
		
			 Financial year Arrears—national (£) 
			 1998-99 1,083,502 
			 1999-2000 2,009,038 
			 2000-01 3,928,901 
			 2001-02 2,542,235 
			 2002-03 1,352,422 
			 2003-04 2,600,461 
			 2004-05 2,155,708 
			 2005-06 2,345,901 
			 2006-07 3,264,685 
			 2007-08 1,083,502 
			 2008-09 3,048,953 
			 2009-10 3,236,448 
			 2010-11 1,386,069 
			 2011-12 2,429,601 
			 2012-13 2,731,125

Minimum Wage

David Lammy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of employers paying below the minimum wage have been successfully prosecuted for breaches of national minimum wage legislation.

David Gauke: With the agreement of the Department for Business, HMRC started considering prosecution for minimum wage offences from May 2006. The following table contains details of the number of criminal prosecutions, since May 2006, by the Standard Industry Classification applicable to the employer and the financial year in which the prosecution took place.
	
		
			  2007-08 2008-09 2010-11 2012-13 
			 Human Health and Social Work Activities 1 — — — 
			 Public Administration and Defence; Compulsory Social Security 1 — — — 
		
	
	
		
			 Wholesale and Retail Trade — 3 — __ 
			 Accommodation and Food Service Activities — 2 — — 
			 Human Health and Social Work Activities — — 1 — 
			 Administrative and Support Service Activities — — — 1

Minimum Wage

David Lammy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many prosecutions arising from non-compliance with national minimum wage legislation there were in (a) the UK and (b) London in each year since 1998-99.

David Gauke: With the agreement of the Department for Business, HMRC started considering prosecution for minimum wage offences from May 2006. The following table contains details of the number of prosecutions, since May 2006, by the Standard Industry Classification applicable to the employer and the financial year in which the prosecution took place.
	Since May 2006 there has been one prosecution in London which was under this Government in 2012-13.
	
		
			  2007-08 2008-09 2010-11 2012-13 
			 Human Health and Social Work Activities 1 — — — 
			 Public Administration and Defence; Compulsory Social Security 1 — — — 
			 Wholesale and Retail Trade — 3 — — 
			 Accommodation and Food Service Activities — 2 — — 
			 Human Health and Social Work Activities — — 1 — 
			 Administrative and Support Service Activities — — — 1

Minimum Wage

David Lammy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much HM Revenue and Customs and its predecessor allocated to (a) enforcement of and (b) monetary compliance with national minimum wage legislation (i) nationally and (ii) in London in each year since 1998-99.

David Gauke: HMRC does not separate the cost of enforcement and monetary compliance, nor can it readily separate the information for London from the national picture. The total amounts allocated over the past five years are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year Spend (£) 
			 2008-09 6,586,020 
			 2009-10 6,852,730 
			 2010-11 6,981,948 
			 2011-12 6,579,579 
			 2012-13 6,478,972

Minimum Wage

David Lammy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many civil penalties of what total monetary value were imposed under national minimum wage legislation (a) nationally and (b) in London in (i) the (A) hospitality, (B) retail, (C) social care, (D) cleaning, (E) leisure, (F) hairdressing, (G) food processing, (H) agriculture, (I) textiles, (J) security and (K) construction sector and (i) each other sector in each year since 1998-99.

David Gauke: The Government takes the enforcement of NMW very seriously and HMRC review every complaint that is referred to them, investigating the complaint and, in addition, carrying out targeted enforcement where they identify a high risk of non-payment of NMW. HMRC targets and fast tracks those complaints that involve the most vulnerable workers such as interns, apprentices and migrant workers, and those relating to the riskiest sectors such as cleaning, retail, hairdressing and social care, in order to ensure that workers receive the wages to which they are entitled.
	HMRC records information by Standard Industry Codes, and does not have a breakdown for the other categories requested by the hon. Member.
	Consistent data is available from 2009 when a new enforcement regime was introduced which saw the introduction of automatic penalties for employers who are found to have underpaid their workers. The numbers of penalty charges made from that date are in the following table. The value of penalties charged has increased by 41% between 2012-13 and 2009-10.
	
		
			  Penalties Charged 
			 Financial Year Number Value (£) 
			 2009-10 381 111,183 
			 2010-11 934 520,568 
			 2011-12 906 766,807 
			 2012-13 64 709,136

Minimum Wage

David Lammy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of employers who have paid below the minimum wage in (a) the UK and (b) London have paid their employees (i) full back-pay and (ii) compensation for every year since the introduction of the national minimum wage.

David Gauke: holding answer 9 September 2013
	HM Revenue and Customs does not capture complaints at constituency level and, since April 2011, no longer captures complaints or the outcomes of its investigations by reference to government regions or country. Its management information relates to the work of teams who are multi-located. Additionally, because it resources to risk, work relating to a specific geographical area is not always done by the NMW team geographically based in that area.
	HMRC contacts every employer whom they find has paid workers below the national minimum wage to confirm that they have paid the identified arrears to the workers. In addition, where it has found arrears for five or fewer workers it will contact all the workers to confirm payment by the employer. In cases involving arrears for more than five workers it will contact a minimum sample of five workers to confirm payment by the employer.
	Since 2009, the number and value of compensation payments nationally are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Number Value (£) 
			 2009-10 264 32,277 
			 2010-11 709 296,442 
			 2011-12 579 320,259 
			 2012-13 502 195,216

Minimum Wage

Andy Sawford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the level of the maximum fine for a company found not to be paying the minimum wage.

Jo Swinson: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	We are carrying out an evaluation of the National Minimum Wage penalty regime, introduced in 2009. The regime was introduced as part of the changes made in the Employment 2008 Act. The review will conclude next year.

Minimum Wage

Andy Sawford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made on the resources his Department has available to enforce the minimum wage.

Jo Swinson: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills who are responsible for the policy on the national minimum wage (NMW), including the policy on compliance and enforcement. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) enforce the NMW on behalf of the Department.
	HMRC’s resources for enforcing the NMW are kept under review to enable us to respond to emerging pressures and priorities. For example, on 12 July 2013, we announced our intention to move to a more focused and targeted enforcement regime in the recruitment sector which will entail transferring some of the resource from the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate into HMRC’s national minimum wage enforcement team.

Minimum Wage

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what steps HM Revenue and Customs is taking to ensure national minimum wage compliance for (a) apprenticeships and (b) other high risk areas;
	(2)  what recent progress has been made by the 20 task force operations targeting national minimum wage rule breakers;
	(3)  what recent assessment he has made of whether the penalties for non-compliance with the national minimum wage provide a sufficient deterrent.

Greg Clark: HMRC has commenced the fast tracking of complaints from apprentices and interns as part of its targeted enforcement programme.
	While the activity of HMRC's 22 task forces is focused on contributing to the HMRC's additional tax revenues target for the spending review period by targeting precise populations of rule breakers and deterring repeat offending, NMW contribute in task forces with other HMRC colleagues where there a perceived risk of underpayment of national minimum wage. NMW compliance officers have joined HMRC Taskforce colleagues working on:
	Northern Ireland Hair and Beauty Taskforce
	Midlands Rag Trade Taskforce
	Midlands Restaurant Taskforce
	North West/North Wales Holiday Industry.
	The NMW Dynamic Response Team (DRT) continues to offer cross-Government compliance capability adopting a total enforcement approach to operational activity. DRT is a multi grade virtual team which offers a rapid response to emerging risks, high profile casework and cross government compliance initiatives. 2013-14 has seen DRT officers working on diverse operational activity which includes:
	Corby—with Employment Agency Standards colleagues undertaking a street sweep of employment agencies. Of 34 visited, 17 were found to be not complying with NMW legislation.
	Glasgow—with Clydeside police and Scottish Power visiting car washes.
	Blackpool—with Blackpool local authority enforcement staff visiting 59 cafes, restaurants and hot food bars. Almost half of the employers visited were found to present risks of non-compliance with NMW.
	City of London—a late night operation with City of London police and Security Industry Authority targeting nightclubs.
	BIS are carrying out an evaluation of the penalty regime that was introduced in 2009. The regime was introduced as part of the changes made in the Employment 2008 Act. The review will conclude next year.

Ministers' Private Offices

Michael Dugher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many full-time equivalent staff of each Civil Service grade are currently employed in the private office of each Minister in his Department; and what the pay band of each such member of staff is.

Nicky Morgan: The number of full-time equivalent staff working in each of the private office of each Minister and the pay band in HM Treasury are as follows:
	
		
			 Name of office Range B Range C Range D Range E Range E2 SCSI 
			 Chancellor's office 2 3 2 0 2 1 
			 Chief Secretary's office 2 1 4 0 1 0 
			 Financial Secretary's office 1 1 1 1 0 0 
			 Exchequer Secretary's office 1 1 1 1 0 0 
			 Economic Secretary's office 0 1 1 1 0 0 
			 Commercial Secretary's office 0 1 1 1 0 0 
		
	
	In total this is 32 staff in comparison to 38 members of staff in 2009.
	This information is based on the latest data available for staffing numbers for core HM Treasury as at 31 July 2013.

Northern Rock Asset Management

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from Northern Rock Asset Management Action Group; and what assessment he has made of the issues raised by this group.

Sajid Javid: The Chancellor of the Exchequer has not received any representations from the Northern Rock Asset Management Action Group.

Opencast Mining: Scotland

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has received representations from the Scottish Government regarding the financial implications for restoration works for former open-cast coal sites where restoration bonds prove inadequate.

Sajid Javid: The Government receives representations from a wide variety of stakeholders and organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
	As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations.

Paul Stephenson

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions Mr Paul Stephenson has been registered as a visitor to his Department's main building since December 2012.

Sajid Javid: The information requested has been withheld under section 40 (2) of the Freedom of Information Act, as the information constitutes personal data relating to a third party that they would not expect to be made public.
	Disclosure of this information is also likely to breach the first data protection principle in schedule 1 to the Data Protection Act, which relates to the fair and lawful processing of personal data.

PAYE

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimate is of the date by which all employers will be submitting PAYE data in real time.

David Gauke: The vast majority of employer PAYE schemes are now reporting their PAYE information in real time.
	A small number of schemes, such as care and support employers and employers who operate particular non-standard PAYE schemes will not start reporting PAYE Real Time Information until April 2014.

Public Relations

Michael Dugher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department and its associated public bodies spent on (a) external public relations consultants and (b) public affairs consultants, in each of the past three years; and for what purposes such consultants were engaged.

Nicky Morgan: The information requested is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, as a general approach, the Treasury does not procure services from external public relations companies.

Publications

Michael Dugher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list (a) the title and subject, (b) the total cost to his Department and (c) the commissioned author or organisation of each external report commissioned by his Department in each year since 2010.

Sajid Javid: Published commissions by HM Treasury are available on the Treasury website at
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?key words=&publication_filter_option=independent- reports&topics%5B%5D=all&departments%5B%5D=hm-treasury&world_locations%5B%5D=all
	Research activities funded by HMRC are available on the HMRC website at
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/research/activities.htm
	The total cost of reviews or research commissions is not centrally recorded.

Revenue and Customs

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff working for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) were engaged (a) through personal service companies and (b) off payroll in each year since 2010-11; and how many of those staff are still employed at HMRC.

David Gauke: The data required to answer this question in full can be assembled only at disproportionate cost. However, for the time spanning January 2012 to March 2013, a data set is available for off-payroll engagements costing more than £58,200 a year. A summary of the data has been published on pages 18-19 of HMRC's Annual Report and Accounts 2012-13 (to be found on the gov.uk website).

Revenue and Customs

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the conviction rate by percentage has been in each year since 2009-10 for prosecutions brought following investigations by HM Revenue and Customs.

David Gauke: The conviction rates by percentage for each year since 2009-10 for prosecutions brought following investigations by HM Revenue and Customs were as follows,
	
		
			  Percentage 
			 2009-10 90.45 
			 2010-11 86.15 
			 2011-12 91.98 
			 2012-13 93.75 
		
	
	The data collected for 2009-10 were collated by the Crown Prosecution Service in a different format to that for the following years. They include figures for drugs, firearms and other prohibitions and restrictions up to June 2009 when responsibility for these matters was assigned to the newly formed UK Border Agency.

Revenue and Customs: Rhyl

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 2 July 2013, Official Report, column 553W, on Revenue and Customs: Rhyl, whether a decision has been made on the closure or relocation of the Rhyl tax office.

David Gauke: No decision has been made regarding the closure of the Rhyl enquiry centre.
	The decision on whether or not to close the enquiry centre network will be made early in 2014, after the results of a pilot being carried out between 3 June and 31 October 2013, in the north-east of England, have been fully evaluated.

Security

Michael Dugher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many departmental identity cards or passes have been reported lost or stolen by staff in his Department since May 2010.

Sajid Javid: The number of identity passes reported lost or stolen by HM Treasury staff since May 2010 is 119 lost and nine stolen.
	The number of passes lost or stolen has fallen year on year since 2010.
	All passes are disabled as soon as they are reported as lost or stolen, and do not contain information that links them to their respective building or organisation.

Standards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the reasons are for the time taken to publish his Department's Quarterly Data Summary for the second quarter of 2012-13 and the third quarter of 2012-13.

Sajid Javid: I refer the hon. Member to the answer the Minister of State for the Cabinet Office gave him today.

State Retirement Pensions

David Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the annual cost of uprating, in line with inflation, the pensions of all UK pensioners living in non-EU countries.

Sajid Javid: The cost of paying UK pensions to-those residing in a country with which the UK does not have a bilateral social security agreement covering the uprating of pensions, is estimated to be at around £700 million (per year) and rising. This figure is based on the current rate in the UK and covers all recipients residing outside the European Economic Area and Switzerland.

Taxation: Bingo

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the bingo industry on bingo duty.

Sajid Javid: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
	The Treasury publishes a list of ministerial meetings with external organisations, available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm

Tobacco: Smuggling

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2013, Official Report, column 457W, on tobacco: smuggling, what the revenue benefit to date is from reinvestment funding in activity by HM Revenue and Customs to tackle tobacco fraud; and what recent assessment he has made of HM Revenue and Custom’s ability to meet the £1.4 billion revenue benefit from this activity originally forecast over the 2010 spending review period.

Sajid Javid: holding answer 12 September 2013
	The Government is fully committed to tackling the illicit trade in tobacco products and ensuring that smuggling does not undermine the health and revenue benefits of real increases in tobacco duties.
	HMRC continually adapts and develops its tobacco strategy to meet changing risks and threats. Through the 2010 spending review, HMRC has invested a further £25 million to strengthen the strategy and maintain downward pressure on the illicit market through to 2014-15.
	In light of the above, the revenue benefit to July 2013 from SR10 reinvestment funding on tobacco totals £384 million. In total, over the SR 2010 period, the Government forecast a benefit of £36 for every £1 reinvested.

VAT

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether a post-implementation review has been conducted into the Simplified VAT Accounting Scheme.

David Gauke: I can confirm that HMRC has conducted a post-implementation review of the Simplified Import VAT Accounting (SIVA) scheme and that the main findings of the review were announced in the Joint Customs Consultative Committee (JCCC) Customs Information Paper (05) 62 dated November 2005.

VAT

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the criteria for a liquidity risk assessment are published with respect to the granting of approval by HM Revenue and Customs for a business to use the simplified import VAT accounting scheme.

David Gauke: I can confirm that the criteria for a liquidity risk assessment in relation to the granting of an approval to use the Simplified Import VAT Accounting (SIVA) scheme is in the public domain and is set out in paragraph 3.9 of HMRC Notice SIVA 1 (Simplified Import VAT Accounting).

VAT: Tourism

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effect on (a) employment, (b) revenue and (c) tax receipts of introducing a reduced rate of valued added tax applied to tourism-related goods and services; and if he will place copies of all documentation relating to such an assessment in the Library;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the effect on the visitor economy of the introduction of a reduced rate of valued added tax to be applied to tourism-related goods and services.

David Gauke: Based on ONS data from 2012, the revenue foregone by reducing VAT to 5% on all hospitality (which includes rooms, food and alcohol) would have an estimated cost of £11 billion to £12 billion a year to the Exchequer.
	Ministers from the Treasury and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have discussed the Cut Tourism VAT campaign, and I have met and engaged in correspondence with the campaign, including in relation to their report analysing the impacts of a VAT cut for the sector. The analysis undertaken by the Cut Tourism VAT campaign assumes that the revenue shortfall associated with such a VAT cut should be met by increasing Government borrowing. This would undermine the Government's fiscal strategy, risking a loss of credibility that could have a far larger negative impact on the economy than the positive economic impact that might otherwise be expected as a result of a VAT cut.
	I have written to the Chairman of the Campaign for Reduced Tourism VAT explaining that while there is no prospect of a VAT cut for tourism, the Government is committed to a wide range of measures to support tourism that we believe are better targeted and more cost effective, including the GREAT campaign and initiatives designed to simplify the visa application process for Chinese tourists.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill

Wayne David: To ask the Leader of the House pursuant to the contribution of the Deputy Leader of the House of 10 September 2013, Official Report, column 893, when the planned meeting with the Shadow Minister for Political and Constitutional Reform, the Electoral Commission and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations will take place.

Andrew Lansley: In September I met the chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations and separately the Chair of the Electoral Commission to discuss the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill.
	During the conference recess I held similar informal discussions with the Shadow Leader of the House of Commons. Details of my meetings and those of the Deputy Leader of the House of Commons with external organisations are published on a quarterly basis and can be accessed on GOV.UK at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/cabinet-office/series/ministers-transparency-publications
	Information for the period April to June 2013 will be published shortly.

CABINET OFFICE

Absenteeism

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the rates of staff (a) absence and (b) sickness absence in his Department in each of the past five years were; and what the departmental targets were in each case.

Francis Maude: Information about reported sickness absence in the Cabinet Office and its agencies is published on the Cabinet Office website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-absence-data
	Aggregated figures for the whole civil service are published at:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/improving/health-and-wellbeing/sickness-absence
	The most recent published figures show that for the year to 31 March 2013 the Cabinet Office has one of the lowest departmental sickness rates at 2.7 average working days lost when compared to the current civil service average of 7.7. The Cabinet Office has not therefore set a target for sickness absence.
	In line with previous Administrations, rates of reported absence for reasons other than sickness are not held centrally.

Accountancy

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department has spent on accountants in each year since 2010.

Francis Maude: There are a number of qualified and trainee accountants within the Department. Their costs are part of the overall budgets for the department.

Air Travel

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many individual domestic air flights were undertaken within Great Britain by representatives of (a) his Department and (b) its associated public bodies in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what the cost to the public purse of each such flight was.

Nick Hurd: As was the case under the previous Administration, my Department does not hold a comprehensive list of domestic flights. Such flights will be funded when there is an appropriate business case for the travel.

Average Earnings: Cleethorpes

Martin Vickers: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average weekly gross earnings of the full-time employed (a) men and (b) women in Cleethorpes constituency were in each year since 2005-06.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated September 2013
	In the absence of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average weekly gross earnings of the full-time employed (a) men and (b) women in Cleethorpes constituency were in each year since 2005-06. (169547)
	The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. Weekly levels of earnings are estimated from ASHE, and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay, whose earnings for the survey pay period were not affected by absence.
	The tables show estimates of median gross weekly earnings in Cleethorpes Constituency from 2005 to 2012, the latest period for which results are available. Figures are provided for full-time males, full-time females, and all full-time employees.
	
		
			 Median gross weekly earnings (£) for employees(1) in Cleethorpes constituency between April 2005 and April 2012 
			 Year (April) Full-time employees Full-time males Full-time females 
			 2005 *448.8 *500.0 **284.0 
			 2006(2) *450.3 *504.9 **268.5 
			 2006(3) *445.5 *504.5 **269.1 
			 2007 *441.5 *467.6 x 
			 2008 *477.9 *502.8 x 
			 2009 *507.3 *564.6 **338.0 
			 2010 *506.3 *534.4 *350.3 
			 2011(4) *528.1 *559.5 **347.2 
			 2011(5) *532.4 *559.8 **349.3 
			 2012 *542.9 *594.2 **391.7 
			 (1) Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence. (2) 2006 results with methodology consistent with 2005. (3) 2006 results with methodology consistent with 2007. (4) 2011 results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2000. (5) 2011 results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2010. Guide to quality: The coefficient of variation (CV) indicates the quality of a figure; the smaller the CV value, the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an average of 200 with a CV of 5%, we would expect the population average to be within the range 180 to 220. Key: * CV > 5% and <= 10% ** CV>10% and<=20% x Unreliable CV = Coefficient of Variation Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office for National Statistics

Buildings

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what refurbishments to his Department's buildings have been carried out in the last 24 months; and at what cost.

Nick Hurd: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 13 June 2013, Official Report, column 397W, to the hon. Member for Glasgow East (Margaret Curran).

Chequers

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much the Prime Minister's Office paid to the Chequers Trust in grant-in-aid for 2012-13.

Nick Hurd: Details on how much was paid to the Chequers Trust in grant-in-aid for 2012-13 can be found in the Cabinet Office report and accounts at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-data-sets-annual-report-and-accounts-2012-to-2013

Christmas Cards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his private ministerial office spent on sending Christmas cards in 2012.

Francis Maude: None.

Electronic Government

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much has been spent on establishing the www.gov.uk website since May 2010.

Nick Hurd: After the 2010 election we found there were hundreds of websites operating at the taxpayers' expense. This profusion of websites was confusing, making it harder for the public to find information quickly. But there were also sites promoting contradictory ideas. For example, one promoted chips and another healthy eating.
	Our strategy has been to close these unnecessary and wasteful websites and migrate the content across to our new award-winning gov.uk site.
	The total cost of Gov.uk to the end of March 2013 is £16.2 million. This is more than offset by the £42 million saved by bringing across content from Directgov and BusinessLink.

Equal Pay

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the pay gaps for (a) gender, (b) race and (c) disability among employees in 10 Downing Street were on the latest date for which figures are available.

Francis Maude: The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
	In the Cabinet Office, at 31 August 2013, looking across those grades where there is representation, (a) the average pay differential for females compared to males is -0.7%. This compares with 2009 when pay was higher for males than females.
	Figures for (b) race and (c) disability are not available.

Freedom of Information

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what the average time by his Department to consider the application of a possible public interest exemption in relation to a freedom of information (a) initial request and (b) internal review has been since May 2010;
	(2)  how many requests for information made to his Department under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 are being considered on grounds of a possible public interest exemption more than (a) three months, (b) six months, (c) nine months and (d) 12 months after the initial request was made without a decision or refusal notice having been issued.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office holds the records of current and former Prime Ministers, the Cabinet and Cabinet Committees, as well as security, intelligence, defence and diplomatic records. This means that FOI requests made of the Department often require extensive consultation and deliberation as part of the public interest test. One public interest test being considered has taken longer than six but less than nine months. In 13 cases it has taken more than three months to complete the test. The requests that have taken longer than three months represent less than 1.5% of requests received. Six are on a single subject.
	Details on average time taken is not held in the format requested.

Government Departments: ICT

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much of the Government's IT budget has been spent with small and medium-sized enterprises in each of the last three years.

Nick Hurd: On coming to power in 2010, this Government found that public sector procurement was fragmented, bureaucratic, protracted and expensive for both bidders and procurers. This closed and transactional approach discouraged small and innovative suppliers from bidding, and did not always deliver value for money.
	Figures published last month show the Government is on track to deliver its aspiration of awarding 25% of central Government business to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by 2015, directly and through the supply chain.
	The Government is disaggregating future IT contracts and delivering more flexible, cheaper solutions. This opens up opportunities for SMEs and reduces the cost to taxpayers. Consequently, 83% of the 708 suppliers on the G-Cloud iii framework are SMEs, and SMEs have taken over 55% of G-Cloud sales to date.
	Departments are responsible for their own IT spend and information on how much of this went to SMEs is not held centrally.

Government Departments: Procurement

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the name is of each member of the Contracts Finder Working Group; and on what dates it has met since its establishment.

Nick Hurd: The Contracts Finder Working Group, established in 2011, carried out most of its work electronically, producing conclusions in 2012 which were used to inform policy. We have no plans to publish a list of members.

Government Departments: Procurement

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average time to elapse between the issue of a notice in the Official Journal of the European Union to the award of a Government contract has been since January 2012.

Nick Hurd: As a result of this Government's procurement reforms we have made the way we do business more competitive, more transparent, better value and far simpler than ever before.
	Between April 2012 and April 2013, average procurement timescales in central Government for all but the most complex projects approximately halved from 208 to 102 working days. We believe that the average timescale prior to May 2010 was in the order of 200 days; however, accurate records were not kept.

Government Departments: Procurement

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many meetings of the Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Panel have been attended by a Minister from his Department;
	(2)  on which dates the SME Panel has met since May 2010.

Nick Hurd: The SME Panel, established in February 2011, has met on the following dates: 29 June 2011, 26 September 2011, 19 January 2012, 22 March 2012, 1 October 2012, 11 December 2012, 20 March 2013 and 3 September 2013.

Government Departments: Procurement

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which Departments have been involved in product surgeries since May 2010.

Nick Hurd: On coming to power in 2010, this Government found that public sector procurement was fragmented, bureaucratic, protracted and expensive for both bidders and procurers. This closed and transactional approach discouraged small and innovative suppliers from bidding, and did not always deliver value for money.
	The Cabinet Office introduced product surgeries to give procurers an opportunity to see what SMEs can offer before launching a procurement exercise. We now encourage Departments to consider running their own product surgeries as part of their pre-procurement engagement with the market. We do not collect information on the number of surgeries.

Government Departments: Procurement

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the name is of each business which has successfully bid for a Government contract through the Innovation Launch Pad.

Nick Hurd: The 2011 Innovation Launch Pad initiative gave innovative SMEs the chance to demonstrate to key decision makers in Government the value that SMEs could deliver. It was not a procurement exercise.

Government Departments: Procurement

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  whether he has made an assessment of the reason for the difference between the total Government expenditure on procurement channelled to small and medium-sized enterprises in 2011-12 and the sum forecast in his Department's report entitled Making Government business more accessible to SMEs—One Year On;
	(2)  with reference to the answer of 23 May 2012, Official Report, column 755W, on procurement, whether he has made an assessment of the effect of the Ministry of Justice starting to include legal aid providers in its figures for procurement expenditure with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in April 2011 on Government statistics regarding public procurement and SMEs;
	(3)  what methodology his Department uses to calculate the Government's total indirect expenditure with small and medium-sized enterprises.

Nick Hurd: On coming to power in 2010, this Government found that public sector procurement was fragmented, bureaucratic, protracted and expensive for both bidders and procurers. This closed and transactional approach discouraged small and innovative suppliers from bidding, and did not always deliver value for money.
	Figures on the proportion of business done with SMEs were not collected centrally prior to May 2010.
	Figures for 2012-13 published last month show the Government is on track to deliver its aspiration of awarding 25% of central Government business to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), directly and through the supply chain, by 2015. Spend with SMEs increased in seven Departments, including MOJ, in 2011-12 and in 12 Departments in 2012-13. This data is available on GOV.UK:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/making-government-business-more-accessible-to-smes-2-years-on
	The forecast made in our first progress report, “Making Government business more accessible to SMEs—One Year On”, was based on the best available data at the time. We were always clear that because data had not been collected before it was possible that our data would not be of the highest quality. We subsequently verified final figures for 2011-12 with Departments and published them in February 2013:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/news/departmental-sme-spend-for-2011-12-reveals-steady-increase
	Since publishing that report we have implemented a more robust system for collecting SME spend data, and have since required figures to be validated by each Department's commercial director. Indirect spend with SMEs is derived from the results of a quarterly survey of 120 key suppliers to government, calculated as a percentage of Departments' total procurement spend.

Government Departments: Procurement

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what the name is of each member of the New Suppliers Working Group; and on what dates the group has met since its establishment;
	(2)  what the name is of each member of the Consortia Working Group; and on what dates it has met since its establishment.

Nick Hurd: The New Suppliers Working Group met on the following dates: 7 September 2011, 10 November 2011 and 20 July 2012. As a result of these meetings, the SME friendliness tool was developed and launched.
	The Consortia Working Group met on the following dates: 25 August 2011, 26 March 2012, 5 December 2012, 28 January 2013, 1 May 2013 and 19 June 2013.
	We have no plans to publish the members of these groups.

Government Departments: Procurement

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many large suppliers have posted subcontracting notices on the Contracts Finder site.

Nick Hurd: The information requested is available by searching Contracts Finder, at:
	https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder
	As of 11 September 2013, nine major suppliers had posted 128 subcontracting notices.

Government Departments: Procurement

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make it his policy that businesses who use blacklisting should be prevented from bidding for Government contracts; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: Under EU procurement rules, public procurers may exclude a supplier from bidding when it has committed a criminal offence relating to its business or profession or has committed an act of grave professional misconduct in the course of its business or profession. This will be a decision for the individual contracting authority to decide.
	The Government takes very seriously any allegations of blacklisting of employees, which is an unacceptable and illegal practice. However, we have seen no evidence of this practice recurring since the introduction of the Blacklisting Regulations in 2010 made the use of blacklisting unlawful.

Ministerial Policy Advisers

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether any special adviser has been disciplined for breaches of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers since May 2010.

Francis Maude: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 1 June 2009, Official Report, column 110W.

Ministers' Private Offices

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many full-time equivalent staff of each Civil Service grade are currently employed in the private office of each Minister in his Department; and what the pay band of each such member of staff is.

Francis Maude: Last year the Government commissioned the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) to review accountability arrangements in overseas civil services. Its findings suggest that direct support for Ministers in the UK is severely underpowered by comparison with other similar Westminster-based systems. The report recognised the need to give Ministers more direct support so they can perform their roles more effectively. I am pleased that the report received strong support from across the political spectrum. The Institute for Government has also recommended that the direct support to Ministers be boosted.
	Following these reports, the Government outlined its plans to enhance support for Ministers in its Civil Service Reform: One Year On plan. I plan to introduce an Extended Ministerial Office in the coming weeks which will naturally result in these figures changes.
	At present, there are four Cabinet Office Ministers who attend Cabinet. Across the private offices of the Cabinet Office Ministers (the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, Minister for Government Policy, Minister of State (Cities and Constitution), Minister for Civil Society, and the three Minsters without Portfolio), there are the following officials employed as at 31 August 2013:
	
		
			  Number 
			 SCSI 1 
			 Band A 5 
			 Band B2 11 
			 Band B1 5 
			 Band C 6 
			 Total 28

Press: Subscriptions

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which newspapers, periodicals and trade profession publications his private ministerial office subscribes to on a (a) daily, (b) weekly, (c) monthly and (d) quarterly basis.

Francis Maude: My office takes the following newspapers on weekdays: Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph, Financial Times, Guardian, Independent, Mirror, Sun. We also receive a variety of other periodicals including The House, Civil Service World. Other papers are available elsewhere in the Department.
	I suspect my predecessors subscribed to a similar selection of newspapers.

Public Sector: Internet

Mark Garnier: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what disclaimer requirements the Government mandates for intermediary websites facilitating access to free public services.

Nick Hurd: The Government does not issue any mandates for intermediary websites facilitating access to free public services.
	Gov.uk is built in such a way that its content and services are highly prominent in search results, meaning that users are less likely to find and use intermediary websites.

Publications

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how much his Department has spent in each of the last three years on hard copy printing of documents for external audiences;
	(2)  if he will list (a) the title and subject, (b) the total cost to his Department and (c) the commissioned author or organisation of each external report commissioned by his Department in each year since 2010.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office publishes all its own reports (dating back to 2002) on the gov.uk website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications
	Information on costs is not held in the format requested.
	This Government is committed to publishing digitally by default, to reduce the costs of publication, and to increase accessibility.

Satellite Broadcasting

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what subscriptions his Department has for premium satellite television channels; and what the cost of each such subscription was in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Francis Maude: Last year my Department paid £2,502 for satellite television subscriptions. This is equivalent to the spend in 2009-10.

Standards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the reasons are for the time taken to publish his Department's Quarterly Data Summary for the second quarter of 2012-13 and the third quarter of 2012-13.

Francis Maude: The Quarter 2 and Quarter 3 Quarterly Data Summary (QDS) returns of all 17 Departments participating in the QDS process were delayed owing to the development of the Cabinet Office's Government Interrogating Spending Tool (GIST). The GIST was developed in response to recommendations made in Dr. Martin Read's independent report entitled ‘Practical Steps to Improve Management Information in Government'. Before the last general election no such comparable data was published at all that allows the public to access a breakdown of government expenditure through the Gov.UK website. It makes the process of accessing and analysing complex QDS and OSCAR data easier and quicker, and for these reasons was seen to justify a short delay in publishing QDS data.

Television

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many flat screen televisions have been purchased by his Department in the last 24 months; and what the cost to the public purse was of such purchases.

Nick Hurd: Individual management units are able to purchase their own televisions and such expenditure is not identified separately on the Department's financial systems. As a result a comprehensive list of television purchases is not held centrally.

Temporary Employment

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many staff of his Department are on temporary contracts.

Francis Maude: At 31 August 2013, 375 staff (18% of the work force) in my Department were employed on fixed term appointment contracts for periods of up to two years or short fixed term appointment contracts for periods of up to one year.
	Fixed term and short fixed term appointments, which include interns and apprentices, are made in accordance with the rules set out in the Civil Service Commissioners' Recruitment Code. These appointments provide the Cabinet Office with the flexibility to employ individuals with very specific skills to meet short-term needs such as a time-limited projects or other key work priorities, without the expense of taking on additional permanent staff.
	Central Government spending on temporary staff has been reduced by stringent spending controls and has contributed to a saving over £1.6 billion in 2012-13 compared to the level of spending in 2009-10.

Trillium

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department has spent on contracts with Trillium Group in each year since 2008.

Nick Hurd: The Department has had no contract spend with Trillium Group since 2008.
	Since 2011, details of contracts above the value of £10,000 have been published on the Contracts Finder website
	http://www.contractsfinder.co.uk
	In addition, this policy extends to Cabinet Office expenditure over £25,000, which is published at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-spend-data

WORK AND PENSIONS

Air Travel

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individual domestic air flights were undertaken within Great Britain by representatives of (a) his Department and (b) its associated public bodies in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what the cost to the public purse of each such flight was.

Esther McVey: In line with the Government's austerity agenda, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has taken vigorous actions to enhance its business travel policy. The DWP's business travel policy actively discourages travel, unless other alternatives have been examined and exhausted. Where travel is deemed appropriate it requires the use of the most cost-effective mode of transport.
	Domestic air travel is only considered once all alternative modes of transport arrangements have been examined and exhausted.
	It is not possible to distinguish between individual domestic flights and other types of flights without incurring disproportionate cost, both for the Department and its associated public bodies.

Annual Reports

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to publish his Department's annual report and accounts for 2012-13.

Esther McVey: The Department plans to lay and publish the Department's annual report and accounts for 2012-13 later in the year, in advance of the statutory deadline on the 31 January 2014.

Buildings

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the expenditure on office refurbishment by (a) his Department and (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies in each year since 2010-11;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the number of office relocations made by staff of (a) his Department and (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies (i) within the original building and (ii) to other buildings in each year since 2009-10; what the cost of (A) removals and (B) refurbishments related to such moves has been; and on how many occasions offices refurbished by his Department in that period have been used by his Department's staff for less than four years before a further move.

Esther McVey: The Department provides services to over 20 million customers and delivers these services from around 900 buildings accommodating 100,000 staff. Since 1998 the Department's accommodation has been provided and managed by its service partner, Telereal Trillium.
	We regret that, as a result of the information regarding churn moves being collated separately by varying facilities management contractors, a detailed breakdown of the information requested is not collated centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. What we can advise is that, in line with its current business plans, the Department is undergoing an estate rationalisation programme which by April 2013 had saved £51.8 million. To facilitate this, the Department has spent £11.2 million on building rationalisation and refurbishment activity, which is aligned to the Department's efficiency plans.
	The Department's non-departmental public bodies which include: Health and Safety Executive; Independent Living Fund; National Employment Savings Trust; Pensions Ombudsman; Social Security Advisory Committee; The Pensions Advisory Service; The Pensions Regulator and Remploy have spent £6.1 million on removals and refurbishment since April 2010.

Carbon Emissions

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been spent by his Department on offsetting costs for energy-related carbon dioxide in the last year for which figures are available.

Esther McVey: The Department does not offset energy-related carbon dioxide, focusing instead on energy efficiency and carbon reduction.

Child Support Agency

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many formal complaints were made against the conduct of the Child Support Agency in each of the last 10 years.

Steve Webb: The following table shows the total number of complaints received by the agency each year since 2003-04.
	
		
			  Complaints received 
			 2003-04 49,200 
			 2004-05 63,800 
			 2005-06 62,100 
			 2006-07 47,900 
			 2007-08 37,600 
			 2008-09 27,800 
			 2009-10 25,100 
			 2010-11 23,200 
			 2011-12 22,900 
			 2012-13 20,700 
			 Note: Figures rounded to nearest 100.

Child Support Agency

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the quality of service provided by the Child Support Agency.

Steve Webb: The latest Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary of Statistics:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/232316/csa-qtr-summ-stats-jun13.pdf
	show that the Child Support Agency has continued to improve, with the number of children benefiting, maintenance outcomes and the amount of maintenance collected all having increased, whilst the number of complaints received has decreased.
	The child maintenance reforms we have introduced will continue to build on these improvements. The new 2012 scheme will provide a simpler calculation framework, improved IT system and improved client service.

Conditions of Employment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the effect of zero hours contracts on the administration costs to his Department of processing claims for benefits where a threshold of hours must be reached for a claim to be made.

Esther McVey: The information requested is not available.

Disability Living Allowance

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what IT problems have been experienced by his Department in the transfer of cases from disability living allowance to personal independent payments.

Esther McVey: The Department has not yet begun to transfer cases from disability living allowance (DLA) to personal independence payment (PIP). Following the successful implementation of PIP new claims in the North of England from 8 April, new claims were extended across Great Britain from 10 June. Some existing DLA recipients will be invited to claim PIP from October 2013 (where there is a change in their care or mobility needs, where fixed term awards are coming to an end or where a child reaches age 16). The reassessment of DLA claimants with a lifetime or indefinite DLA award will not start until October 2015.

Employment and Support Allowance

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to ensure that people whose employment and support allowance is ceasing are clearly advised to claim jobseeker's allowance.

Esther McVey: Claimants are advised about claiming other benefits, including jobseeker's allowance, in a decision assurance phone call. This call is made at the point the decision maker is considering disallowing employment and support allowance following a work capability assessment.
	If claimants want to claim jobseeker's allowance they are asked if they want to be transferred to a contact centre to make the claim. Information about claiming other benefits, including jobseeker's allowance, is also included in written notifications sent to claimants when employment and support allowance ceases.

Employment and Support Allowance: Kilmarnock

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals resident in Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency, who have been placed in the work-related activity group in each year since the inception of the scheme, have received a prognosis that they will be unlikely to be able to work in the longer term.

Esther McVey: There is no such prognosis as being unable to return to work in the longer-term. We do hold information on how many claimants have been allocated a prognosis of two years or more, however, the information requested by parliamentary constituency is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Housing

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department had with the UN Special Rapporteur on Housing, Raquel Rolnik during her visit to the UK in September 2013.

Steve Webb: The UN Special Rapporteur did not approach the Department for meetings with either departmental Ministers or officials working on the removal of the spare room subsidy policy, despite this being the focus of her initial findings.
	At the beginning of her visit Ms Rolnik met with officials from a number of Government Departments for a general introduction to a range of housing issues, this included a DWP official.
	Towards the end of her visit Ms Rolnik had a debrief meeting with officials from DCLG and other Departments, including an official from DWP.

Housing Benefit

Michael Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department plans to allow underspends in the (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15 discretionary housing payment budget to be carried over.

Steve Webb: Discretionary housing payment funding is intended to be used to support housing benefit claimants during the financial year for which it has been allocated. We do not intend to allow unspent funding to be carried over from this financial year into the budget for 2014-15.
	We allowed carrying over of the DHP underspend from 2011-12 to 2012-13. This was because the transitional arrangements for the reforms to the local housing allowance that were introduced during 2011-12 meant that they only took full effect during 2012-13.

Housing Benefit

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claimed the shared accommodation rate of housing benefit in each parliamentary constituency.

Steve Webb: The information requested for how many people claimed the shared accommodation rate of housing benefit in each parliamentary constituency can be found at:
	https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk
	Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:
	https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm

Housing Benefit

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average difference between local housing allowance awards and rent is for claimants receiving the (a) shared accommodation, (b) one bed, (c) two bed, (d) three bed and (f) four bed rate.

Steve Webb: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many sanctions against jobseeker's allowance claimants were successfully appealed in (a) Birkenhead constituency, (b) the metropolitan borough of Wirral, (c) the Liverpool city region and (d) the UK as a proportion of the total number of sanctions issued in each year since 2010-11.

Esther McVey: Statistics on how many sanctions against jobseeker's allowance claimants were successfully appealed in (a) Birkenhead constituency, (b) the metropolitan borough of Wirral, (c) the Liverpool city region and (d) Great Britain as a proportion of the total number of sanctions issued in each year since 2010-11 are given in the table:
	
		
			 Number and percentage(1) of jobseeker's allowance (JSA) sanction referrals by area(2, 3), year(4 )and referral action(5):1 April 2011 to 31 May 2012 
			   Referral action(5)  
			   Sanction:  
			 Area Year(4) Applied Successfully appealed Percentage successfully appealed(1) 
			 Great Britain 2011-12 645,980 3,870 0.6 
			  2012-13 142,650 680 0.5 
			      
			 Liverpool local authority(2) 2011-12 7,500 110 1.4 
			  2012-13 1,910 — — 
			      
			 Wirral local authority(2) 2011-12 4,060 50 1.2 
			  2012-13 910 — — 
			      
			 Birkenhead parliamentary constituency(3) 2011-12 1,800 20 1.2 
			  2012-13 440 — — 
			 “—” Denotes nil or negligible. (1) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Figures will include individuals who have had more than one referral eg if an individual has had a sanction applied and has also successfully appealed a sanction then they will appear twice. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place and show the number of successful appeals as a proportion of the number of sanctions applied, (2) Local authority: On 1 April 2009 structural changes to the local authorities of England took effect. These changes are reflected in this table. (3) Parliamentary constituency: Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant postcode directory. Boundaries are as at the reference date. More information and a map can be found at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/geography/beginner-s-guide/maps/index.html (4) Year: The year in which the decision on the sanction referral was made. The decision on an appeal may relate to a sanction initially applied in the previous year. This table only includes data up to and including 31 May, which this is the latest data available for all geographical areas. (5) Referral action: The number of sanctions applied is the number of Varied(6), Fixed Length(7) and Entitlement Decision(8 )sanction referrals where the decision was found against the claimant. The decision to apply a sanction can be overturned following reconsideration or appeal by the sector decision maker. (6) Varied length sanctions: A sanction of between one week and 26 weeks is imposed for leaving employment voluntarily without just cause, refusing employment without good cause, or losing employment through misconduct. The actual period in each case is at the discretion of the adjudication officer who makes the decision. (7) Fixed length sanctions: A sanction of between one week and 26 weeks is imposed for refusal, without good cause, to attend an employment programme or carry out a jobseeker's direction. Payment of benefit continues in full pending the adjudication officer's decision on a sanction question. (8) Entitlement decisions: These are questions on which entitlement to JSA depends. For example, if there is doubt around whether the jobseeker's agreement (JSAg) is suitable, whether they are actively looking for work or making themselves available for work. In most cases payment of JSA will be suspended by benefit processing until the doubt is resolved. Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate: JSA Sanctions and Disallowance Decisions Statistics Database.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the median duration of a jobseeker's allowance claim is by age group.

Esther McVey: Statistics on what the median duration of a jobseeker's allowance claim is by age group can be found at:
	https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp
	Guidance for users can be found at:
	https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp

Jobseeker's Allowance: Domestic Violence

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on how many occasions the jobseeker's allowance domestic violence easement has been applied in each month since its introduction.

Esther McVey: DWP directly supports domestic violence victims in a number of ways. The jobseekers allowance domestic violence (JSA DV) easement helps victims of actual or threatened domestic violence by allowing a break from job seeking activity to enable claimants to stabilise their lives and those of their families.
	The following table sets out the number of times the jobseeker's allowance domestic violence easement has been applied in each month since its introduction. It only captures those people where DWP's administrative systems show that an easement has been approved for at least four weeks - the minimum period of time for which an easement can be approved. It does not include people where an application for an easement was made but was either not followed up or where no evidence was provided in support of the application.
	The easement can apply for a period of up to 13-weeks, so an individual easement may span a period of several months. Where this is the case, the easement has only been counted in the month in which it was first applied.
	The information in the table has been taken from the Department's Labour Market System (LMS) and has not been fully quality-assured. This type of internal management information does not form part of the regular official statistics outputs that are released by the Department in accordance with the UK Statistics Authority's Code of Practice.
	The following table sets out the number of times the jobseeker's allowance domestic violence easement has been applied in each month:
	
		
			 Month Number of times during the course of the month that the easement was first applied 
			 April 2012 14 
			 May 2012 34 
			 June 2012 31 
			 July 2012 22 
			 August 2012 45 
			 September 2012 30 
			 October 2012 29 
			 November 2012 46 
			 December 2012 32 
			 January 2013 44 
			 February 2013 58 
			 March 2013 46 
		
	
	
		
			 April 2013 45 
			 May 2013 43 
			 June 2013 62 
			 July 2013 75 
			 August 2013 72

Jobseeker's Allowance: Nottinghamshire

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people between 16 and 25 years old in (a) Ashfield constituency and (b) Nottinghamshire had been claiming jobseeker's allowance for two years or more in each month since May 2010.

Esther McVey: Statistics on how many people aged under 25 years in (a) Ashfield constituency and (b) Nottinghamshire have been claiming jobseeker's allowance (JSA) for two years or more in each month since May 2010, from the JSA claimant count, can be found at:
	https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp
	Guidance for users can be found at:
	https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to reply to the letter to him dated 1 August 2013 from the Rt hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regards to Ms S. A. Khanuy.

Esther McVey: Despite an extensive search, the Department has no trace of the letter.

National Insurance: Asylum

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) average, (b) least and (c) greatest time is for an individual who is granted refugee status to be provided with a National Insurance number.

Esther McVey: DWP, in partnership with Home Office, provides a fast track national insurance number (NINo) service by which new asylum seekers who have been given leave to remain can securely and efficiently obtain a national insurance number (NINo) without having to attend an evidence of identity interview (EOI) in DWP.
	Through this fast track service, the identity of the applicant is verified by the Home Office during the asylum interview and only those applicants granted leave to remain are referred to DWP for a NINo. Dependants and partners are required to obtain a NINo from DWP using standard processes.
	A NINo decision letter, addressed to the customer, is returned to Home Office to be issued along with their immigration status decision.
	DWP aim to process and return to Home Office all NINo allocation referrals within 48 hours of receipt.
	DWP does not collect statistical information in relation to individual national insurance numbers allocated through this service; however the following table shows the actual average clearance times (shown in days) for all NINo applications, by month, processed through the fast track service.
	
		
			 National Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Average 
			 2012-13 2.9 2.6 2.3 1.9 1.9 1.8 2.1 2.1 1.7 1.8 2.2 1.7 2.1 
			 2013-14 1.7 1.6 1.6 1.9 2.1 — — — — — — — 1.8 
			 Source: DWP Business Information Service (BIS) 
		
	
	BIS is a departmental performance management, data capture and reporting tool. The data have not been fully quality-assured. This type of internal management information does not form part of the regular official statistics outputs that are released by the Department in accordance with the UK Statistics Authority's code of practice.

Personal Independence Payment

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many non-special rule PIP claims have been applied for, processed and awarded (a) since introduction of the pilot schemes in April 2013 and (b) since PIP was introduced in June 2013.

Esther McVey: Personal independence payment started from April 2013 and although limited data has started to feed through, we need to wait until the Department has quality assured and meaningful figures for publication. The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we are able to publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity. In line with the timetable for release of statistics detailed in our publication strategy:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personal-independence-payment-release-strategy
	we intend to publish Official Statistics on personal independence payment from spring 2014 onwards.

Poverty: Children

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate how many children live in households whose income would be reduced if the benefit cap were reduced to £20,000 per annum.

Esther McVey: It is estimated that if the cap were reduced to £20,000 per annum some 480,000 children would be in households affected at any point time in 2013/14. This estimate is based on administrative data for 2012, adjusted to model exemptions from the benefit cap and a grace period of 39-weeks during which time the cap will not apply to households where the claimant, or if applicable their partner, has worked for 50 weeks out of the 52 weeks preceding their last day of work.

Poverty: Children

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate how many additional children would be living in households below the 60 per cent. relative poverty threshold if the benefit cap were reduced to £20,000 per annum.

Esther McVey: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave to his previous question number 168252, on 10 September 2013, Official Report, column 656W.

Poverty: Children

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of policy from his Department since May 2010 on child poverty in (a) Birkenhead constituency, (b) the metropolitan borough of Wirral, (c) the Liverpool city region and (d) the UK.

Esther McVey: The Government is committed to tackling child poverty and to eradicate its causes including worklessness, educational failure and family breakdown, rather than simply treating the consequences of the problem.
	The Government is taking action to tackle child poverty including introducing universal credit, which will simplify the benefit system and ensure that work is always the best option; investing more in nursery and pre-school provision, including providing 260,000 disadvantaged two-year-olds with 15 hours a week free childcare; investing in education, including £2.5 billion for the pupil premium for disadvantaged pupils and £1.2 billion for capital investment in schools; and raising the tax threshold which will lift more than 2 million people out of paying tax altogether.
	Under the Child Poverty Act, each local authority is required to do a needs assessment of child poverty in its areas, and working with partners, introduce a local strategy to tackle the local problems. The Government believes that it is local authorities that understand the local situation best, and can therefore design effective strategies for tackling child poverty at a local level, supported by our wide-ranging national action.

Procurement

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department makes of the (a) payment of minimum wage, (b) payment of living wage and (c) use of zero hours contracts when tendering for public procurement contracts.

Esther McVey: The Department makes no direct reference to the payment of the minimum wage, the living wage or use of zero hours contracts when tendering for public procurement contracts. However all those bidding for DWP contracts are aware through DWP Standard Terms and Conditions that the contract shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with English Law and the parties submit to the jurisdiction of the English Courts. The minimum wage is covered by Law but the living wage and zero hours contracts are not.

Public Relations

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department and its associated public bodies spent on (a) external public relations consultants and (b) public affairs consultants, in each of the past three years; and for what purposes such consultants were engaged.

Esther McVey: The Department for Work and Pensions has had nil spend on hiring external PR firms, as all PR activity has been carried out in house since 2010-11.
	The following public bodies have confirmed that they have a nil spend on (a) external public relations consultants and (b) public affairs consultants, in each of the past three years:
	Equality 2025
	Industrial Injuries Advisory Council
	Independent Living Fund
	National Employment Saving Trust
	Social Security Advisory Committee
	The Pensions Regulator
	Pensions Ombudsman
	The Pensions Advisory Service
	The following public bodies have confirmed the following costs:
	Remploy
	2010-11: £57,621
	2011-12: £45,344
	2012-13: £21,337
	Remploy have confirmed they used consultants for the following reasons:
	Provision of public affairs support and advice on government relations in Wales
	Provision of public affairs support and advice on government relations in Scotland
	Provision of external PR support for employment services and magazine production for internal communications requirements
	The Pension Protection Fund
	2010-11: Retained strategic communications and public affairs advisory support (contract ended January 2011)—£21,866.10.
	2011-12: Nil
	2012-13: Project on better communicating financial risk and investment issues—£24,865.31
	Health and Safety Executive
	2010-11: £13,299
	2011-12: Nil
	2012-13: £12,177
	The expenditure in 2010-11 was in support of work with Health and Safety Executive's in-house agency, the Health and Safety Laboratory, to explore commercial opportunities for the Laboratory; and in 2012-13, to support insight-based behaviour change campaigns to protect Great Britain's workers from death, injury and ill-health

Publications

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list (a) the title and subject, (b) the total cost to his Department and (c) the commissioned author or organisation of each external report commissioned by his Department in each year since 2010.

Esther McVey: Details of the reports requested are listed on the following two appendices that will be placed in the Library:
	Appendix 1: DWP External Research Reports commissioned and published since
	2010.
	Appendix 2: DWP Communications External Reports commissioned and published since 2010.

Social Security Benefits

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what date his Department plans to publish jobseeker's allowance and employment and support allowance sanction statistics.

Esther McVey: The Department aims to publish a single set of sanction statistics covering JSA and ESA, for the new sanctions regime, as soon as possible. Quality assurance by DWP statisticians of the data underpinning the sanctions statistics is progressing and at an advanced stage. The proposed date will be announced as soon as possible via the DWP statistics section of ‘gov.uk’ and via the ‘Welfare and Benefits’ community at:
	http://www.statsusernet.org.uk

Social Security Benefits

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what change there has been in the reporting of (a) constituency, (b) ward level and (c) lower super output area statistics concerning welfare claims in each year since 2010.

Esther McVey: There have been very few changes in the level of geographic reporting since 2010.
	DWP continue to publish statistics at parliamentary constituency level via Nomis
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	and the tabulation tool
	http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/100pc/
	DWP publish smaller geographies at Nomis:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/
	and the tabulation tool
	http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/NESS/page1.htm
	This includes breakdowns by frozen 2003 wards and lower super output area. Limited breakdowns by 2001 census output area are available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/series/census-output-area-data-on-workless-benefit-claimants-in-2013
	and via similar pages for earlier years.
	In May 2013, DWP started to publish a wide range of geographical breakdowns for housing benefit claimants via Stat-Xplore
	https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the cost was to his Department of compiling and publishing its research report entitled Public perceptions of the Benefit Cap and pre-implementation impacts published on 12 July 2013;
	(2)  how much his Department paid to Ipsos MORI as part of the work undertaken by his Department to compile its research report entitled Public perceptions of the Benefit Cap and pre-implementation impacts published on 12 July 2013.

Esther McVey: Ipsos MORI were contracted to undertake a piece of work entitled “Public Perceptions of the Benefit Cap and Pre-Implementation Impacts” at a cost of £60,920, as part of a wider ongoing external research evaluation “Evaluation of Housing and Other Benefit Measures in the Social Rented Sector”. The departmental spend of £60,920 includes both the report published on 12 July 2013 of headline findings and the forthcoming full report of the same research, which has been pre- announced for release for week commencing 7 October 2013.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when companies will be invited to tender for his Department's medical services contract.

Esther McVey: Competitive tendering has commenced for additional capacity to work alongside our existing contractor delivering the Department's Medical Services Agreement. These requirements were placed in an advert in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) on 6 September 2013.

Statistics

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library best practice documents issued by his Department's regional offices on the reporting of localised statistics to hon. Members.

Esther McVey: No best practice documents are issued by the Departments regional offices on the reporting of localised statistics to hon. Members.

Television

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many flat screen televisions have been purchased by his Department in the last 24 months; and what the cost to the public purse was of such purchases.

Esther McVey: Since 1998 the Department for Work and Pensions occupies the majority of its accommodation under a private finance initiative (PFI) known as the PRIME Contract.
	Under the terms of this PFI, the Department leases back fully serviced accommodation from its private sector partner Telereal Trillium. We pay an all-inclusive unitary price, known as the Facility Price (FP), for all our furniture, fixtures, equipment and services provided, including televisions.
	There were however five televisions which fell outside the scope of the contract price, and so the actual cost to the Department was £1,332.95.

Trillium

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on contracts with Trillium Group in each year since 2008.

Esther McVey: The Department has spent on contracts with Telereal Trillium since 2008:
	
		
			  Net of recoverable VAT (£) 
			 2008-09 772,601,095.00 
			 2009-10 696,867,290.89 
			 2010-11 689,080,809.16 
			 2011-12 635,018,279.49 
			 2012-13 635,525,771.13 
		
	
	The sums paid include all costs paid by Telereal Trillium on the Department's behalf, such as business rates, rent and some fuel and utility costs. These amounts cover the Department for Work and Pensions and Child Maintenance Group formerly Child Maintenance Enforcement Commission but not Health and Safety Executive or any of the smaller non departmental public bodies such as Pensions Regulator or the Pensions Ombudsman.
	Also included is approximately £60 million per annum in respect of other Government Departments occupying space in DWP buildings. This is initially paid by DWP, but is subsequently recovered from those Departments which occupy the spaces.

Trussell Trust

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the current status is of the agreement signed between the Trussell Trust and Jobcentre Plus in 2011.

Esther McVey: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 12 September 2013, Official Report, column 837W, to the hon. Member for East Lothian, Fiona O'Donnell.

Unemployed People: Travel

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been spent on refunding the cost of travel by jobseekers to jobcentres in Ashfield constituency in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Esther McVey: There is one jobcentre in the Ashfield constituency, Sutton in Ashfield; this does not cover all the areas in the constituency and therefore claimants from the areas not covered will attend larger jobcentres outside the constituency. As such, the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The costs for Sutton in Ashfield jobcentre from April 2011 are as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 April 2013 to August 2013 6,932 
			 April 2012 to March 2013 12,474 
			 April 2011 to March 2012 5,416

Unemployment: Young People

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to share best practice with other EU member states on reducing youth unemployment.

Esther McVey: Reducing unemployment among young people has been the subject of discussion in the Council of Ministers and the European Council, both in set piece debate and in the course of the EU2020 Semester. On these occasions, Ministers have explained the Government’s approach and experiences in this field, as have the Ministers of other member states. DWP officials are engaged in similar exchanges at working level in the course of co-operation on employment policies under the Open Method of Co-ordination and in collectively tracking progress towards improving employment levels, including for young people, under the EU2020 process. DWP officials will attend a special seminar that the European Commission is mounting in October to bring relevant policy experts from all member state Governments together to exchange ideas, experience and best practice for the development of youth guarantee schemes to tackle youth unemployment.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of how long it will take when a universal credit claimant reaches the eight-week rent arrears trigger for direct payments to be transferred to managed payments.

Steve Webb: When a claimant reaches the two calendar month rent arrears trigger point, the landlord will be required to provide DWP with evidence of the rent arrears. Our intention will be to implement the managed payment of rent before the next UC payment is issued wherever possible, so that further arrears do not accrue.

Universal Credit

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households he estimates will claim universal credit by 2017.

Esther McVey: Approximately 8 million households are estimated to be claiming universal credit by the end of 2017.

Universal Credit

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have made claims for universal credit on the pathfinder to date.

Esther McVey: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I provided to the hon. Member for Wansbeck (Ian Lavery) on 2 September 2013, Official Report, column 251W.
	The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we are able to publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity. We intend to publish Official Statistics on pathfinder areas in autumn 2013 and on nationally implemented universal credit from autumn 2014.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects universal credit claimants in the Pathfinder scheme to be able to notify any changes of their circumstances online.

Esther McVey: As set out in the written ministerial statement made on 10 July 2013, Official Report, columns 21-22WS, further details on universal credit development plans will be outlined in the autumn.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make regular progress reports to Parliament on progress with universal credit.

Esther McVey: DWP Ministers will continue to keep Parliament fully informed as we progressively roll out universal credit.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of how much will be saved by the omission of the 13-week housing benefit protection from universal credit.

Steve Webb: Introducing such a provision in universal credit would benefit only those whose earnings when in work were high enough to lift them clear of universal credit. Lower-income workers would not be eligible for protection if they lost their job.
	We estimate the cost of providing the 13-week protection in housing benefit to be around £15 million per year. The cost of providing similar protection in universal credit is not available but would be somewhat lower due to the fact that universal credit extends further up the income distribution than housing benefit.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many universal credit claimants in the pathfinders are receiving the housing costs component of universal credit; and how many such claimants are living in the private rented sector.

Esther McVey: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I provided to the hon. Member for Wansbeck (Ian Lavery), on 2 September 2013, Official Report, column 251W.
	The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we are able to publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity. We intend to publish Official Statistics on pathfinder areas in autumn 2013 and on nationally implemented universal credit from autumn 2014.

Work Capability Assessment

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when his Department's contract with Atos for work capability assessments is up for review; and on what criteria his Department will judge the quality of service provided by Atos.

Esther McVey: The Departments contract with Atos is reviewed annually. The current expiry date for the contract is 31 August 2015. The quality of the service is measured against a range of performance targets that are reviewed monthly by the Department.

Work Capability Assessment

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals who are currently living in residential care homes have been written to requesting that they attend a work capability assessment.

Esther McVey: The information requested is not available.

Work Capability Assessment: Appeals

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of work capability assessments were successfully appealed in (a) Birkenhead constituency, (b) the Metropolitan Authority of Wirral, (c) the Liverpool City Region and (d) the UK in each year since 2010-11.

Esther McVey: Information on the proportion of all work capability assessments (WCA) that were successfully appealed is not available.
	Statistics on the number and proportion of WCA that were successfully appealed, where the initial WCA decision was ‘Fit for Work’, in Great Britain, Liverpool and the Wirral can be found in the following table.
	Information at parliamentary constituency level is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Number of Fit for Work decisions and outcomes of appeals heard against Fit for Work decisions at initial WCA for new ESA claims that started between April 2011 and May 2012 by area 
			    Outcome of appeals heard on Fit for Work decisions 
			 Area Year Total caseload with a Fit for Work decision (a) Caseload for Initial decision overturned (b) Caseload for Initial decision upheld (c) Proportion (%) of all Fit for Work decisions overturned (b/a) Proportion (%) of all appeal decisions overturned (b/b+c) 
			 Great Britain 2011-12 209,700 23,500 44,700 11 34 
			  2012-13 33,100 1,600 3,900 5 29 
			        
			 Liverpool local authority 2011-12 3,300 400 800 12 32 
			  2012-13 500 — 100 — — 
			        
			 Wirral local authority 2011-12 1,800 200 400 12% 34% 
			  2012-13 200 — — — — 
			 Notes: 1. "—" indicates a nil or negligible value. 2. Rounding: Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. Percentages are shown to the nearest whole number. 3. Data for 2012-13 include claims that started from 1 April 2012 to 31 May 2012. 4. Information on appeals against repeat assessment, incapacity benefit reassessment and Work Related Activity Group outcomes are not included. 5. The volume of appeals heard (and inferred to be in relation to a Fit for Work decision) in each cohort are likely to increase over time, especially in relation to more recent cohorts. This is likely to have some impact on percentages included in the column showing the proportion of all Fit for Work decisions overturned. This is because of the length of time it takes to submit an appeal and have it heard by HMCTS. Source: Department for Work and Pensions benefit administration datasets

Work Programme

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  in which Work Programme contract package areas will market shift take place as a result of providers' underperformance;
	(2)  when he will announce further details of the market share shift in Work Programme contract package areas.

Esther McVey: Full details on the market share shift were published on the Department's website on 26 September 2013.
	The contract package areas where market share shift has taken place are:
	
		
			 Contract Package Area Number Name 
			 CPA1 Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Cambridge and Suffolk, Essex, Norfolk 
			 CPA2 Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and Rutland, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire 
			 CPA3 West London 
			 CPA6 Merseyside, Halton, Cumbria and Lancashire 
			 CPA7 Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Warrington 
			 CPA10 Surrey, Sussex and Kent 
			 CPA14 Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country 
			 CPA16 West Yorkshire 
			 CPA17 South Yorkshire 
			 CPA18 North East Yorkshire and the Humber

TRANSPORT

Absenteeism

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the rates of staff (a) absence and (b) sickness absence in his Department in each of the past five years were; and what the departmental targets were in each case.

Stephen Hammond: The information is as follows:
	(a) Rate of staff absence
	The Department does not maintain a central record of absence data. The rate of staff absence figures could be provided only at disproportionate cost for the agencies and therefore we have only provided data for the number of days absence for the central Department. The following table shows the rate of staff absence which includes annual leave, maternity/paternity leave, and special leave (this list is not exhaustive), excluding sickness.
	
		
			 Period Total days lost to absence for central Department, excluding sickness 
			 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009 39750.42 
			 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2010 40254.55 
			 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011 41388.80 
			 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012 36253.77 
			 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2013 36530.10 
		
	
	(b) Rate of staff sickness absence
	The following table shows the number of average working days lost and the total number of days lost to staff sickness for the central Department, and its six Executive Agencies in each of the last five years.
	
		
			 Period Total days lost Average working days lost 
			 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009 152578.55 8.10 
			 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2010 152985.76 8.07 
			 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011 138682.34 7.71 
			 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012 136104.31 8.01 
			 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2013 121122.74 7.28 
		
	
	The Department for Transport works towards achieving an agreed Cabinet Office target of 7.5 average working days lost due to ill heath. From 2010 responsibility for setting sickness absence targets was transferred from Cabinet Office to Departments. The Department for Transport continues to monitor its progress to reduce days lost due to ill heath against the 7.5 days.

Accountancy

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has spent on accountants in each year since 2010.

Stephen Hammond: The information requested is not held. Accountants are not identified separately within the Department's payroll costs and it is not possible to identify the element of external advice and contractors which comprises accountants.

Air Travel

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many individual domestic air flights were undertaken within Great Britain by representatives of (a) his Department and (b) its associated public bodies in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what the cost to the public purse of each such flight was.

Stephen Hammond: I have been informed that the Department for Transport and its associated public bodies do not hold the information requested centrally, and it could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Buildings

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what refurbishments to his Department's buildings have been carried out in the last 24 months; and at what cost.

Stephen Hammond: The requested information is as follows.
	Major refurbishment costs were required primarily as a result of the closure of another building and works required to facilitate staff moving in (e.g. Berkeley House, Great Minster House), or for the opening of new premises (Irvine Driving Test Centre) or as part of legal (lease) requirements (Bury). The costs provided therefore do not reflect the ongoing savings that will result from these adjustments.
	Information on the building refurbishments undertaken by the Highways Agency and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Organisational unit Description Location Cost (£) 
			 Central Department Office refurbishment following lease break Great Minster House, London 915,618 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency Refurbishment and heating upgrade Berkeley House, Bristol 1,762,000 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency Decoration Various 105,459 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency Toilet and office refurbishment Stornoway 11,234 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency Office refurbishment Dumfries 5,748 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency Staff room refurbishment Salisbury 4,050 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency Kitchen Improvements Northam 3,746 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency 1st floor refurbishment Chadderton 26,214 
		
	
	
		
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency External refurbishment Southampton 7,771 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency Porch refurbishment Crimplesham 10,689 
			 Driving Standards Agency External repairs and decoration, refurbish kitchen and new car park surface Bradford Heaton 37,883 
			 Driving Standards Agency Refurbishment following flood Bury 39,993 
			 Driving Standards Agency New kitchen Kendal 7,456 
			 Driving Standards Agency Refurbish/redecorate Newcastle 258,746 
			 Driving Standards Agency Fit out new driving test centre Irvine 57,651 
			 Driving Standards Agency Redecorate and improve working environment Skegness 22,396 
			 Driving Standards Agency Refurbishment Reading 90,386 
			 Driving Standards Agency Fit out of property for driving test centre and admin office Cardiff (Llanishen) 143,390 
			 Driving Standards Agency Fit out of DSA demised area Ashford (Kent) 20,545 
			 Driving Standards Agency Minor refurbishment and remedial works Eastbourne 15,244

Christmas Cards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his private ministerial office spent on sending Christmas cards in 2012.

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport's ministerial private offices did not spend anything on sending Christmas cards in 2012.

High Speed 2

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will (a) publish his most recent remit letter of HS2 Ltd and (b) the Memorandum of Articles of Association of HS2 Ltd, indicating where amendments have been made to ensure compatibility with that remit letter.

Patrick McLoughlin: The information is as follows:
	(a) The most recent remit letter dated 27 June 2013 is available on the HS2 website at:
	http://www.hs2.org.uk/about-hs2-ltd/annual-accounts-corporate-plan
	(b) The Memorandum and Articles of Association of High Speed 2 (HS2) Ltd are publicly available and filed at Companies House. These documents were reviewed in light of the new remit letter and it was considered that they did not need to be changed.

High Speed 2

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made on the recruitment of non-executive directors with specialist expertise in finance and communication to the board of HS2 Ltd.

Patrick McLoughlin: The Department is in the process of appointing an executive search consultant to manage the recruitment of the two non-executive directors for the HS2 Ltd Board. Once that is concluded, the Department will work with the consultants to get the posts publicly advertised, which we aim to do in the next few weeks.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been paid from the public purse to (a) Arup Group, (b) Balfour Beatty, (c) Kier Group, (d) Laing O'Rourke, (e) Mott MacDonald Group, (f) Skanska UK, (g) Dialogue by Design, (h) Capita Symonds Ineco JV, (i) Parsons Brinckerhoff, (j) URS Scott Wilson, (k) the ERM Temple Group Mott MacDonald Consortium, (l) Terra Quest, (m) Mouchell and (n) KPMG for contracts related to High Speed 2 since May 2010; and how much remains to be paid to each company under uncompleted contracts.

Patrick McLoughlin: The information is as follows:
	
		
			 HS2 Ltd 
			 Supplier Spend May 2010 to date Contracted further spend 
			 Arup Group 63,361,045.93 12,658,471.36 
			 Balfour Beatty 0 0 
			 Kier Group 0 0 
			 Laing O'Rourke 0 0 
			 MOTT MacDonald Group 25,543,115.44 6,720,391.52 
			 Skanska UK 0 0 
			 Dialogue By Design 472,589.25 974,689.65 
			 Capita Symonds Ineco JV 17,555,150.01 1,360,940.79 
			 Parsons Brinckerhoff 11,538,088.82 794,264.78 
			 URS Scott Wilson 53,304.60 0 
			 The ERM Temple Group MOTT MacDonald Consortium 24,946,423.17 3,058,093.23 
			 TerraQuest 1,654,103.81 290,418.37 
			 Mouchel 1,236,792.12 120,400.88 
			 KPMG 2,129,039.46 101,786.54 
			 Total 148,489,652.61 26,079,457.12 
		
	
	
		
			 DFT 
			  Spend May 2010 to date Contracted further spend 
			 Parsons Brinckerhoff 1,400,000 0

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department will revise construction cost estimates for High Speed 2 to include payment for VAT by HS2 Ltd.

Patrick McLoughlin: Spending round 2013 set a long-term budget for delivery of HS2 of £42.6 billion (2011 prices). This includes contingency provision of £14.4 billion.
	As the NAO pointed out in May, VAT
	'is an internal transfer within government rather than an additional cost'.
	It would therefore not be right to include VAT within construction cost estimates.
	In order to recover VAT incurred on the costs of constructing the railway, HS2 Ltd will have to register for VAT. To do so, it will have to satisfy HMRC that it intends to make taxable supplies, as explained in paragraph 3.12 of the May 2013 National Audit Office report.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department plans to issue a revised business case for High Speed 2 before the hybrid Bill for phase one of the scheme is deposited in Parliament.

Patrick McLoughlin: The Department is currently revising the business case to take account of the latest available evidence and understanding of the project. The Government plans to issue the latest case for the scheme to support the deposit of the hybrid Bill for phase one later this year.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the High Speed 2 community forums will meet after the date of deposit in Parliament of the hybrid Bill for phase one of High Speed 2.

Patrick McLoughlin: Once the hybrid Bill for phase one of High Speed 2 has been deposited in Parliament, the main focus of HS2 Ltd’s work will be on supporting the parliamentary process, including engaging with those who petition Parliament regarding the Bill. In parallel, HS2 Ltd is committed to keeping open lines of communication with communities along the route, and will be discussing with those communities the best means of doing so, both through the round of forums now underway and through other engagement channels.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether HS2 Ltd plans to hold local information events during the consultation on the environmental statement for phase one of the High Speed 2 scheme.

Patrick McLoughlin: The consultation on the environmental statement for HS2 phase one that will follow the deposit of the hybrid Bill, is required by parliamentary standing orders. The purpose of the consultation is to ensure that Parliament is informed of people's view on the environmental impact of the scheme to allow Parliament to consider this as part of its deliberations on the forthcoming hybrid Bill. Standing orders do not require local information events and as such HS2 Ltd are not planning to hold any.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the report from the Audit and Risk Management Committee presented at the board meeting of HS2 Ltd on 18 July 2013.

Patrick McLoughlin: The update from the Audit and Risk Management Committee was given verbally at the meeting. HS2 Ltd does not hold a written report.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost to the public purse is of holding the September HS2 Ltd board meeting in Liverpool.

Patrick McLoughlin: HS2 Ltd held its September 2013 board meeting in Liverpool and used the opportunity to meet with key stakeholders, avoiding costs that would otherwise have been incurred for separate meetings.
	The cost of holding this meeting was £4,125.50 and spending was within HS2 Ltd expense limits as set out in our policies.
	HS2 Ltd does not have access to costs incurred by third parties such as Merseytravel.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost to the public purse was of holding the July board meeting of HS2 Ltd hosted by Sir Albert Bore and Birmingham city council.

Patrick McLoughlin: HS2 Ltd held its July 2013 board meeting in Birmingham and used the opportunity to meet with key stakeholders, avoiding costs that would otherwise have been incurred for separate meetings.
	The cost of holding this meeting was £3,181.33 and spending was within HS2 Ltd expense limits as set out in HS2 Ltd’s policies.
	HS2 Ltd does not have access to costs incurred by third parties such as Birmingham city council.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the panel of experts who peer reviewed the KPMG report into High Speed 2; and what (a) interests they declared and (b) remuneration they received for their work.

Patrick McLoughlin: The panel of experts who peer reviewed the work were:
	Bridget Rosewell—Volterra
	Chris Nash—ITS Leeds
	David Simmonds—David Simmonds Consultancy
	David Tuck—GENECON
	Paul Buchanan—SKM Colin Buchanan
	Rob Colley—Deloitte
	Roger Vickerman—University of Kent
	Tony Venables—University of Oxford
	(a) One of the members of the panel declared a pre-existing contract with a county council to implement and test an extension to a country wide economic model which assesses the effects of changes outside the local area on the local economy and hence on local land uses and transport systems.
	(b) The cost of the peer review was £13,858 inclusive of VAT.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was paid to KPMG for the report on the regional economic effects of High Speed 2.

Patrick McLoughlin: The amount paid to KPMG was £242,126 inclusive of VAT.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was paid to those who peer-reviewed KPMG’s work on the regional economic effects of High Speed 2.

Patrick McLoughlin: The total cost of the peer review was £13,858 inclusive of VAT.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which items were included in the original estimate of £1.2 billion for the full scale works at Euston for High Speed 2; and what changes to this figure contributed to the revised cost of £2 billion for this work.

Patrick McLoughlin: The £1.2 billion estimate was a pre-feasibility concept estimate that included the assumed works to the station and civil engineering in the throat. The items contributing to the revised cost of £2 billion include additional civil works; additional station and passenger facilities; emergency and safety measures; enhanced Transport for London (London Underground) requirements; increased urban realm works; and allowance for railway systems.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which items were included in the original estimate of £1.6 billion for the reduced High Speed 2 Scheme at Euston.

Patrick McLoughlin: The items included in the estimate of £1.6 billion for the current, modified High Speed 2 Scheme at Euston include the station works associated with High Speed 2, Network Rail and Transport for London works to the underground station. The estimate is also inclusive of the civil engineering works in the approach to the station.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish all communications between his Department and KPMG (a) before and (b) during KPMG's assessment of the regional economic effects of High Speed 2.

Patrick McLoughlin: The Department did not communicate directly with KPMG during their assessment. The work was commissioned and managed by HS2 Ltd. The Department provided comments on a draft of the document for consideration by the review panel established by HS2 Ltd to provide critical feedback to KPMG.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the remit and all commissioning documents and instructions given to KPMG in advance of its production of its recent report into High Speed 2; what fee his Department has paid to KPMG for production of that report; and when that report was first commissioned.

Patrick McLoughlin: The recent KPMG report on HS2 was commissioned by HS2 Ltd, not the Department for Transport. In the interest of transparency we have placed the Tender document in the Libraries of the House. The report was commissioned by HS2 Ltd on 22 March 2013 and the contract was awarded on 24 April 2013. The final fee for the report, as invoiced by KPMG, was £242,125.90 including VAT.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether a decision has yet been taken on the distance applied to the property bond option currently being consulted on by his Department; and what consideration he has given to whether such a bond could be applied to affected properties more than 120 metres away from the High Speed 2 line used in the Deloitte report on the property bond design for High Speed 2 affected properties.

Patrick McLoughlin: The Government is currently consulting on proposals for property compensation schemes along the phase one line of route. It would be inappropriate for me to comment further at this stage.

Leeds-Bradford Airport

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to improve transport access to Leeds Bradford airport for businesses in Bradford.

Stephen Hammond: On 27 June 2013, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the right hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey (Danny Alexander), announced that a feasibility study to look at improving connectivity to Leeds Bradford airport would form one of the studies into solutions to tackle some of the most notorious and long-standing congestion hot spots in England. The Department for Transport will lead that work. A wide range of options will be examined.

London Airports

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimates he has made of the (a) costs of and (b) timescales for extending the Oyster card system to Gatwick and Stansted airport railway stations.

Stephen Hammond: The Secretary of State for Transport has not made any estimates of the costs or time scales of extending Oyster ticketing to Gatwick or Stansted airport stations. Any such extension would, in the first instance, be a commercial matter, to be dealt with between Transport for London and the relevant train operating company.

Ministers' Private Offices

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many full-time equivalent staff of each Civil Service grade are currently employed in the private office of each Minister in his Department; and what the pay band of each such member of staff is.

Stephen Hammond: The information requested, which is correct as at 7 October 2013 is presented in the following table:
	
		
			 Secretary of State—right hon. Patrick McLoughlin MP 
			 Staff grade Number of staff Pay band (£) 
			 Senior Civil Service PB1 1 63,500 to 117,800 
			 Payband 6 1 49,764 to 57,506 
			 Payband 4 Fast Stream 2 27,000 to 36,435 
			 Payband 3 1 27,378 to 28,607 
		
	
	
		
			 Minister of State—Baroness Kramer 
			 Staff grade Number of staff Pay band (£) 
			 Payband 6 1 49,764 to 57,506 
			 Payband 4 Fast Stream 2 27,000 to 36,435 
			 Payband 3 1 27,378 to 28,607 
		
	
	
		
			 Parliamentary Under Secretary of State—Robert Goodwill MP 
			 Staff grade Number of staff Pay Band (£) 
			 Payband 4 Fast Stream 1 27,000 to 36,435 
			 Payband 3 3 27,378 to 28,607 
		
	
	
		
			 Parliamentary Under Secretary of State—Stephen Hammond MP 
			 Staff grade Number of staff Pay Band (£) 
			 Payband 4 Fast Stream 1 27,000 to 36,435 
			 Payband 3 3 27,378 to 28,607

Press: Subscriptions

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which newspapers, periodicals and trade profession publications his private ministerial office subscribes to on a (a) daily, (b) weekly, (c) monthly and (d) quarterly basis.

Stephen Hammond: The information requested is presented in the following table. There are currently no quarterly subscriptions. All newspapers, periodicals and trade profession publications are shared by the ministerial team.
	
		
			 Item description Item frequency 
			 Financial Times Daily (Monday to Friday only) 
			 Guardian Daily (Monday to Friday only) 
			 Independent Daily (Monday to Friday only) 
			 Daily Mail Daily (Monday to Friday only) 
			 Daily Express Daily (Monday to Friday only) 
			 Daily Mirror Daily (Monday to Friday only) 
			 Sun Daily (Monday to Friday only) 
			 Lloyds List Daily (Monday to Friday only) 
			 Times Daily (Monday to Friday only) 
			 Daily Telegraph Daily (Monday to Friday only) 
			   
			 Coach & Bus Weekly Weekly 
			 Economist Weekly 
			   
			 Rail Fortnightly 
			 Private Eye Fortnightly 
			   
			 Todays Railways Monthly 
			 Modern Railways Monthly 
			 Buses Monthly Monthly

Public Relations

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department and its associated public bodies spent on (a) external public relations consultants and (b) public affairs consultants, in each of the past three years; and for what purposes such consultants were engaged.

Stephen Hammond: The central Department and its executive agencies (excluding the Highways Agency) spent £214,084 in 2010-11, nothing in 2011-12 and £196,995 on 2012-13 on external public relations consultants. The purposes for which consultants were engaged are as follows:
	
		
			  Purpose Amount (£) 
			 2010-11 ‘Car Thoughts’ video 20,106 
			 2010-11 Cycle England 193,978 
			 2012-13 Laidlaw Review 63,478 
			 2012-13 THINK! Road safety 133,516 
		
	
	The central Department and its executive agencies (excluding the Highways Agency) have not spent any money on public affairs consultants in each of the past three years.
	I am informed that the Highways Agency can provide a response only at disproportionate cost.

Publications

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list (a) the title and subject, (b) the total cost to his Department and (c) the commissioned author or organisation of each external report commissioned by his Department in each year since 2010.

Stephen Hammond: The Department does not hold a central record identifying those reports which were commissioned from external sources. The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Publishing

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has spent in each of the last three years on hard copy printing of documents for external audiences.

Stephen Hammond: The central Department and its executive agencies have spent the following amounts on hard copy printing of marketing and public relations documents for external audiences in each of the last three years:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2010-11 1,058,237 
			 2011-12 939,251 
			 2012-13 595,740 
		
	
	I am informed that the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency can provide the information only at disproportionate cost.

Satellite Broadcasting

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what subscriptions his Department has for premium satellite television channels; and what the cost of each such subscription was in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Stephen Hammond: Within the Department for Transport the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) subscribes to the Sky Ultimate package. The subscription allows the agency to monitor media, especially during incidents, and provides the MCA with the ability to perform regional-switch to monitor regional news. The cost for the calendar year September 12 to August 2013 is £979.20.

Security

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many departmental identity cards or passes have been reported lost or stolen by staff in his Department since May 2010.

Stephen Hammond: In the Department for Transport and its executive agencies, a total of 1,173 departmental identity cards or passes have been reported lost or stolen since May 2010.
	The total omits a short period for one part of the Department, the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency, where records were not kept centrally prior to December 2010 and are no longer available.
	All staff are contractually required to look after identity cards and passes. Guidance to staff is currently being reviewed.

Standards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the reasons are for the time taken to publish his Department's Quarterly Data Summary for the second quarter of 2012-13 and the third quarter of 2012-13.

Stephen Hammond: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude).

Television

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many flat screen televisions have been purchased by his Department in the last 24 months; and what the cost to the public purse was of such purchases.

Stephen Hammond: The requested information is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Organisational unit Quantity Cost (£) 
			 Department for Transport headquarters(1) 11 2,707 
			 Air Accidents Investigation Branch(2) 2 1,978 
			 Rail Accident Investigation Branch(3) 3 1,405 
			 Driving Standards Agency(4) 3 1,032 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency 2 680 
			 (1) Used for business purposes, including access to the parliamentary channel. (2) Used as monitors for air accident presentations rather than receiving a TV signal. (3) Used to monitor rail accident information and to receive Freeview news. (4) Purchased to support the Agency's video conferencing facilities.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Absenteeism

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the rates of staff (a) absence and (b) sickness absence in her Department in each of the past five years were; and what the departmental targets were in each case.

Hugh Robertson: The information requested is as follows.
	(a) The following table shows the average working days lost due to absence in my Department in the last five financial years.
	
		
			  Average working days lost 
			 2012-13 7.10 
			 2011-12 6.09 
			 2010-11 5.43 
			 2009-10 5.05 
			 2008-09 6.49 
		
	
	We have interpreted absence to be unpaid leave and unauthorised absence, which was zero.
	(b) The following table shows the average working days lost to sickness absence in my Department in each of the past five financial years.
	
		
			  Average working days lost 
			 2012-13 4.1 
			 2011-12 4.9 
			 2010-11 4.8 
			 2009-10 4.7 
			 2008-09 4.1 
		
	
	The Department does not have targets set for sickness absence.

Adam Smith

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on how many occasions Mr Adam Smith has been registered as a visitor to her Department's main building since May 2012.

Edward Vaizey: Mr Adam Smith, who previously worked as a special adviser in DCMS, has not visited the Department since May 2012.

Athletics

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to encourage people to get involved in athletics.

Hugh Robertson: Sport England is investing £22 million in England Athletics over the next four years with the aim of getting 2.4 million people doing athletics at least once a week, every week, an increase of 500,000 compared to figures published in December 2012. Sport England's investment supports members of formal athletics clubs as well running groups across the country. Sport England's investment in England Athletics also ensures it partners with the main providers of major running events such as the London Marathon, Nova international, Park Run and Cancer Research UK. Sport England is also working with the National Trust to expand its programmes to get more people running in a number of its key properties including Dumber Park near Worksop in Nottinghamshire.

Broadband: North Yorkshire

Nigel Adams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people in North Yorkshire do not yet have access to broadband speed of at least 2MBps. [R]

Edward Vaizey: The Ofcom Fixed Broadband Data 2012 (published in December 2012) shows that 13.8% of premises in North Yorkshire received download speeds of less than 2Mbps. The corresponding figure for 2011 was 17.1% of premises.
	To improve broadband coverage in North Yorkshire, North Yorkshire county council entered into a rural broadband contract with BT in July 2012 with the support of £17.8 million of Government funding and this has now delivered superfast broadband availability to over 50,000 premises in North Yorkshire.
	The Government also announced in June 2013 that it would investing up to a further £250 million to extend superfast broadband provision from current coverage plans so that, with local match funding, 95% of UK premises will have access to superfast broadband by 2017. The Government is also exploring with industry how to expand coverage further, using more innovative fixed, wireless and mobile broadband solutions, to reach at least 99% of premises in the UK by 2018.

Broadband: Rossendale

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to ensure that rural areas in Rossendale and Darwen constituency can receive faster broadband.

Edward Vaizey: The Government provided £10,830,000 to Lancashire county council for its local broadband project, which includes the Rossendale and Darwen area. Lancashire county council procured its supplier independently of Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) although BDUK continues to provide support to the project. The project is in delivery and is aiming to bring fibre broadband to 97% of premises in Lancashire, Blackpool, and Blackburn with Darwen, and has to date passed 1,800 premises.

Broadband: Rural Areas

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much contingency is included in BT's bids for delivering the rural superfast broadband programme.

Edward Vaizey: BT's bids for rural broadband projects do not explicitly identify contingency. Bid costs for individual projects under the broadband delivery framework agreement must be consistent with the reference costs that were agreed with the supplier when the framework agreement was put in place. In addition, the supplier must provide full transparency of costs during implementation and will only be paid on the basis of actual costs. Suppliers will not be able to claim for any un-spent contingency. Any contingency which the supplier included in their bids and which is not required to achieve the contracted targets will therefore be available to extend coverage beyond the minimum contracted levels.

Broadband: Rural Areas

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to ensure that the invoices submitted by BT for delivering the rural superfast broadband programme accurately reflect its costs.

Edward Vaizey: The reporting requirements, processes and controls in local authorities' contracts with BT will all help ensure that invoices accurately reflect costs. The National Audit Office has reported that this process appears to be robust. BT will only be paid on the basis of actual eligible capital costs, evidenced with invoices, that are incurred in delivering the contracted levels of coverage. Local authorities will have full transparency of costs through the life of the contracts and can scrutinise each underlying invoice and timesheet to ensure BT is only paid for work done. Any unspent contingency or additional funding resulting from clawback provisions in the contracts will be used to provide additional coverage.
	Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) has developed detailed processes to assist local authorities in assuring supplier costs. BDUK will continue to provide training, advice and assurance support to local authorities throughout the implementation.

Buildings

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many square metres of office space her Department (a) owns and (b) rents in London; and what the value is of that property.

Hugh Robertson: The Department does not own any office space. It rents 6,934 square metres of space in London. Leasehold property is not valued.

Buildings

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the number of office relocations made by staff of (a) her Department and (b) her Department's non-departmental public bodies (i) within the original building and (ii) to other buildings in each year since 2009-10; what the cost of (A) removals and (B) refurbishments related to such moves has been; and on how many occasions offices refurbished by her Department in that period have been used by her Department's staff for less than four years before a further move.

Hugh Robertson: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  Number of relocations with the original buildings Cost of removals (£) Number of relocations to other buildings Cost of removals (£) 
			 2009-10 (1)— — — — 
			 2010-11 1 960 1 1,152 
			 2011-12 0  1 1,390 
			 2012-13 1 6,528 1 27,560 
			 2013-14 0  1 3,909.47 
			 (1 )No records held. 
		
	
	There were no refurbishment costs associated with these moves.

Carbon Emissions

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent by her Department on offsetting costs for energy-related carbon dioxide in the last year for which figures are available.

Hugh Robertson: For the financial year 2012-13, the most recent period for which full year figures are available, DCMS spent £18,252 on offsetting costs for energy-related carbon dioxide. For this financial year (2013-14) we anticipate that our costs will be £15,984, based on the Department of Energy and Climate Change's assessment of our current needs.

Direct Selling

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what further steps her Department plans to take to tackle the problem of automatic telephone calls made to lines in domestic residences.

Edward Vaizey: Domestic residences are protected from automatic telephone calls for marketing purposes through the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) 2003, which prohibits such calls unless prior consent of the recipient has been obtained. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) enforces the PECR and can issue a fine of up to £500,000 for the most serious breaches in situations where callers continue to disregard the regulations.
	We outlined our future plans to tackle nuisance calls, in our strategy paper Connectivity, Content and Consumers: Britain's digital platform for growth, which was published on 30 July. This includes enabling Ofcom to share information more easily with ICO in relation to companies that make unsolicited marketing calls, so that ICO can take more effective action. We are also continuing to work with industry and regulators to ensure better enforcement to target those that break the rules. Other measures include supporting efforts to enable calls to be traced where a caller conceals or withholds their number and considering the scope to lower the legal threshold, which needs to be met before the ICO can issue a monetary penalty. Further information about all our proposals are set out at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/connectivity-content-and-consumers-Britains-digital-platform-for-growth
	Also, a joint action plan was published in July by ICO and Ofcom, which identifies steps they are taking to improve guidance, pursue ongoing targeted enforcement and improve call and message tracing processes to track down those responsible for making calls. Ofcom will also be conducting a review of the effectiveness of the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) further details are available at:
	http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/silent-calls/joint-action-plan/
	We will review their findings carefully to see what further action can be taken to tackle nuisance calls.

Direct Selling: Scotland

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what submissions she has received either orally or in writing from the Scottish Government in relation to regulation of nuisance calls over the last 12 months.

Edward Vaizey: I have received no submissions of this nature from the Scottish Government concerning nuisance calls. However, on 17 October 2012, I received a letter from Fergus Ewing MSP (Scotland's Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism). He requested to be informed about our plans to address the issue and we responded by setting out the actions being taken in this area.

Entertainments: Tickets

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she plans to conduct a review into the secondary ticketing market.

Hugh Robertson: The Government has no plans to conduct a review into the secondary ticket market. We will, however, continue to monitor this area through a range of methods, including analysis of the representations received and observation of the sector as a whole.

Entertainments: Tickets

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and (b) Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer on the effect of secondary ticketing on matters within the remit of their departments.

Hugh Robertson: I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues at BIS and HM Treasury on a range of issues.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she plans to reply to the letter to her dated 1 August 2013 from the Rt hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regards to Mr A. Chan.

Hugh Robertson: A response was sent to the right hon. Gentleman on 23 September 2013.

Ministers’ Private Offices

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many full-time equivalent staff of each Civil Service grade are currently employed in the private office of each Minister in her Department; and what the pay band of each such member of staff is.

Hugh Robertson: The number and pay bands of full-time equivalent staff currently employed in the private office of each Minister in my Department is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Civil Service Grades Secretary of State's Office Minister for Sport and Tourism Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries 
			 Senior Civil Service Pay Band 1 1 0 0 
			 Grade 7 (DCMS Grade A) 3 1 1 
			 Senior Executive Officer/Higher Executive Officer (DCMS Grade B) 1 1 1 
			 Executive Officer (DCMS Grade C) 0 1 1 
			 Total 5 3 3

Mobile Phones: Fees and Charges

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the Government plans to support the European Commissioner for the Digital Agenda’s proposals to end roaming charges in the EU.

Edward Vaizey: The European Commission adopted and launched a regulatory proposal covering the EU telecommunications single market on 12 September 2013; further action on roaming prices were included within the proposals.
	The UK Government has been a strong supporter of co-ordinated action to reduce roaming charges through a series of regulations which have already resulted in substantial reductions in roaming charges. While we have not had an opportunity to consider the details of the recently adopted proposals, we support the objective of further reducing roaming charges which will benefit business and retail consumers alike.

Mobile Phones: North Yorkshire

Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to what extent 3G mobile network coverage in north Yorkshire has been increased since May 2010; and what steps she is taking to increase that coverage further.

Edward Vaizey: Mobile coverage is a matter for Ofcom who licence the mobile network operators. The 3G licences issued in 2000 contain coverage obligations to ensure that the operators must cover an area where at least 80% of the population live, by 2007. This was extended to 90% coverage, by 30 June 2013. Coverage is detailed at Ofcom’s website at:
	http://maps.ofcom.org.uk/mobile-services/
	which shows levels in 2012. However, it is a commercial decision for the mobile operators as to how they meet their coverage obligations and sparsely populated areas may have less coverage.
	Government is looking to provide mobile coverage through the £150 million Mobile Infrastructure Project announced in 2011. In conjunction with our contractors, we are in the process of identifying sites for infrastructure to provide coverage. The first site to provide coverage is in north Yorkshire, and we expect it to be fully operational in the next few weeks.

Olympic Games 2012

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the legacy of the London 2012 Olympic Games in Northern Ireland; what discussions she has had with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive on enhancing that legacy; and if she will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: The legacy from the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games is being felt across the United Kingdom. DCMS recently published an independent report, produced by a consortium led by Grant Thornton, the meta-evaluation of the impacts and legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games.
	The report includes the following findings in relation to Northern Ireland:
	The total economic impact of the games on Northern Ireland is estimated at between £380 million and £480 million of gross value added, with total job years created of between 12,300 and 15,600, over the period 2004-20
	Venues in Northern Ireland hosted teams from 100 countries, 1,396 delegates and 10,432 spectators at pre games training camps and competitions.
	52% of schools in Northern Ireland signed up for Get Set, the educational programme managed by LOCOG which developed educational materials based on the Olympic and Paralympic values (and which continues to run under the auspices of the British Olympic Association and British Paralympic Association)
	77 projects in Northern Ireland were awarded the Inspire Mark (the brand managed by LOCOG which was given to high-quality non-commercial projects inspired by the Games) and 127 local leaders were signed up in Northern Ireland (the local leaders initiative invited volunteers to promote awareness of the games in their communities and organise Olympic and Paralympic celebrations).
	The full meta-evaluation report can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/report-5-post-games-evaluation-meta-evaluation-of-the-impacts-and-legacy-of-the-london-2012-olympic-and-paralympic-games
	Examples of legacy-related activity in Northern Ireland include:
	a number of initiatives run by Sport Northern Ireland designed to increase participation, including Activ8, a social marketing campaign aimed at raising awareness among primary school aged children of the importance of taking part in at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day and of eating a healthy and balanced diet; and active communities, a £13.5 million investment over five years employing and training a network of full-time and part-time sports coaches to deliver activities in community and club settings across Northern Ireland
	the 5-star Disability Sports Challenge, run by Disability Sports NI and the Northern Ireland Executive. This innovative project was delivered in primary schools across Northern Ireland, focussing on disability sports and educating young people about disability and the Paralympics, and inspiring more children to become active
	over £40 million worth of London 2012 related contracts were won by over 45 companies in Northern Ireland
	in 2013 NI successfully hosted the 2013 World Police and Fire games and is set to host the Grande Partenza or ‘Big Start’ of the Giro d'ltalia in May 2014
	Northern Ireland has benefitted from both VisitBritain's international campaigns (including GREAT, which continues to maximise the opportunities arising from hosting the 2012 games) and VisitEngland's Holidays at Home Are GREAT campaigns, and will continue to do so
	Salto Gymnastics Club in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, is an example of a club and facility that supports both community and elite use—it also hosted the Olympic gold-winning Chinese men's team as their pre-games training camp.
	Lord Coe visited the club earlier this year and said:
	“This gymnastics club captures the essence of the last 10 years. This club is quintessentially why I went to Singapore and that's why I've come back here because now we are starting the second half of the Olympic journey, to be inspired by 2012.”
	I have not had any discussions with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive about enhancing the games’ legacy for Northern Ireland, but I would be happy to do so.

Procurement

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment her Department makes of the (a) payment of minimum wage, (b) payment of living wage and (c) use of zero hours contracts when tendering for public procurement contracts.

Hugh Robertson: Given the minimum wage is a legal obligation, we expect all suppliers to comply with it and the Department does not undertake an assessment. Although the Government has been explicit that it supports the living wage and encourages business to take it up where possible and affordable, the Department does not make an assessment of this or zero hours contracts as, ultimately, this is a commercial consideration for each company tendering.

Publications

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list (a) the title and subject, (b) the total cost to her Department and (c) the commissioned author or organisation of each external report commissioned by her Department in each year since 2010.

Hugh Robertson: The following table includes all research reports that have been identified as having been commissioned since 2010 by the Department.
	
		
			  Title Author Contract value (£) 
			 2010 CASE Regional Evidence Project TBR 41,100 
			  Culture and Sport Physical Asset Mapping Toolkit TBR 36,219 
			  Measuring the value of culture: a report to the Department for Culture Media and Sport Dr David O'Brien (AHRC fellowship) 18,264 
			  Meta Evaluation of 2012 Olympic Games Grant Thornton 1,300, 000 
			     
			 2011 CASE Database Update EPPI, University of London 24,583 
			  CASE Programme: Business Models BOP Consulting 78,500 
			  CASE Programme: Local Culture and Sport Profile TBR 30,000 
			  CASE Programme: Understanding Fundraising Capacity and Activity Gfk NOP 34,000 
			  Contribution of Communication Sector to Economic Growth and Productivity in the UK Frontier Economics 34,680 
			  Digital Radio Switchover—Consumer Research London Economics 86,150 
			  Independent Review: Government Cost Benefit Analysis of Digital Radio Switchover Europe Economics 12,350 
			  Understanding the Drivers and Patterns of Volunteering in the Cultural and Sporting Sectors National Centre for Social Research (NATCEN) 13,627 
			     
			 2012 A holistic approach to valuing our culture Dr Claire Donovan (AHRC fellowship) 24,957 
		
	
	
		
			  CASE Programme—The Social Benefits of Engagement with Culture and Sport Sheffield Hallam University 38,500 
			  CIPFA Library comparative profile report CIPFA 42,600 
			  Consumer research for Cost-Benefit Analysis of Digital Radio Switch over: A supplementary report to DCMS London Economics 12,400 
			  Digital Radio—Measuring the Impact of Radio Switchover on Consumers Ipsos Media CT 145,55 0 
			  Economic impact of an addition to the radio spectrum in the UK Europe Economics 7,700 
			  Implications of climate change for organisations in DCMS sectors Bradon Smith (ESRC fellowship) 23,748 
			  Investigation and Development of Alternative Regulations for Re-Transmission Fees Mediatique 40,946 
			  Sport Satellite Account—analysis Liverpool University 8,990 
			  The benefits of allowing mobile use of 2.6 GHz spectrum via protection of aeronautical radars Plum Consulting—Aegis 24,000 
			  The Value and Optimal management of Channel Position and Prominence on Electronic Programme Guides Technologia Ltd 40,973 
			  Tourism Board Marketing Expenditure Return on Investment —The Impact of Displacement TNS Research International 14,700 
			  UK Broadband Impact Study SQW Ltd 144,41 0 
			     
			 2013 Assessing SME use of potential broadband voucher scheme IFF Research 14,000 
			  Communications Strategy Godric Smith consulting 5,000 
			  Economic value of mobile communications in 'not spots' RAND 40,000 
			  Independent Assurance Review (Phase 1) Grant Thornton 152,00 0 
			  Public libraries—an outcome based approach John Holden 5,000 
			  Qualitative research to inform the independent review of the public sector equality duty NatCen 70,732 
			  Research study on energy consumption of digital radio, phase 3: Digital radio action plan report Intertek 27,096 
		
	
	
		
			  Review of Rural Broadband Programme Gerry Purnell Services Ltd 9,000 
			  The economic impact on telecoms sector of Wayleaves Nordicity 36,630 
			  Tourism Productivity: A Review of Evidence and Empirical Estimates for the UK Office for National Statistics 39,081 
			  Valuing the social impacts of cultural engagement and sport participation LSE 39,750

Sports

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department spent on sport in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire, (c) East Midlands and (d) England in each of the last five years.

Hugh Robertson: Funding in constituencies, local authorities and regions is invested on the basis of applications for funding and the figures do not reflect the large amount of funding channelled through our key partners, such as National Governing Bodies of Sport, to increase the number of people playing sport and support talented people fulfil their potential. Funding for National Governing Bodies is reflected in the national figures as all of Sport England's awards are to English beneficiaries and for activity within England. Funding for the previous Physical Education and Sport Strategy for Young People (PESSYP) 2008-11 and the current School Games programme cannot be disaggregated by constituency.
	
		
			 Ashfield total awards (both Exchequer and national lottery funding) 
			 Financial year Total (£) 
			 2008-09 59,685 
			 2009-10 17,997 
			 2010-11 15,748 
			 2011-12 13,480 
			 2012-13 68,792 
			 Total 175,702 
		
	
	
		
			 Nottinghamshire total awards (both Exchequer and national lottery funding) 
			 Financial year Total (£) 
			 2008-09 2,717,209 
			 2009-10 1,873,273 
			 2010-11 1,384,167 
			 2011-12 2,084,368 
			 2012-13 2,741,637 
			 Total 10,800,654 
		
	
	
		
			 East Midlands total awards (both Exchequer and national lottery funding) 
			 Financial year Total (£) 
			 2008-09 17,255,100 
			 2009-10 6,621,544 
			 2010-11 6,796,026 
			 2011-12 14,858,870 
			 2012-13 17,645,156 
			 Total 63,176,696 
		
	
	
		
			 England total awards (both Exchequer and national lottery funding) 
			 Financial year Total (£) 
			 2008-09 208,853,207 
			 2009-10 365,995,248 
			 2010-11 174,352,059 
			 2011-12 245,654,810 
			 2012-13 204,539,930 
			 Total 1,199,395,254

Standards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the reasons are for the time taken to publish her Department’s quarterly data summary for the second quarter of 2012-13 and the third quarter of 2012-13.

Hugh Robertson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend, the Minister for the Cabinet Office today.

Television: Licensing

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many businesses in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency have been pursued for non-payment of television licences since 2010.

Edward Vaizey: Neither DCMS nor the BBC, including TV Licensing, holds the requested information.

War Memorials

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations she has received on the creation of a national memorial for war widows and orphans.

Edward Vaizey: I replied on 10 September to your letter raising this subject. I also outlined the UK Government's First World War Centenary commemoration programme and how members of the public can become involved in it.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Absenteeism

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the rates of staff (a) absence and (b) sickness absence in his Department in each of the past five years were; and what the departmental targets were in each case.

Richard Benyon: The average number of working days lost (AWDL) due to sickness by staff in core DEFRA is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Year ending AWDL per person 
			 31 December 2009 6.1 
			 31 December 2010 5.7 
			 31 December 2011 4.5 
			 31 December 2012 4.1 
			 30 June 2013 4.1 
			 Note: Data for the year ending 30 June 2013 is the latest available for 2013. 
		
	
	Rates of absence for reasons other than sickness are not routinely calculated and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.
	DEFRA does not set sickness absence or other absence targets.

Accountancy

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent on accountants in each year since 2010.

Richard Benyon: This question could be answered only at disproportionate cost.

Air Travel

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many individual domestic air flights were undertaken within Great Britain by representatives of (a) his Department and (b) its associated public bodies in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what the cost to the public purse of each such flight was.

Richard Benyon: There were 219 individual domestic air flights undertaken within Great Britain by representatives of the core Department in financial year 2012-13. The total cost of these flights was £37,445.78. A breakdown of the individual cost per flight is as follows.
	Cost of each flight
	£623.95
	£529.55
	£377.45
	£339.93
	£317.11
	£312.22
	£274.72
	£273.52
	£268.50
	£246.19
	£233.50
	£229.22
	£217.51
	£206.61
	£193.70
	£189.53
	£177.32
	£157.07
	£152.22
	£146.72
	£145.55
	£142.52
	£137.95
	£133.66
	£130.10
	£126.42
	£118.03
	£114.50
	£110.22
	£106.98
	£105.22
	£97.52
	£95.07
	£91.53
	£89.02
	£78.53
	£77.41
	£73.27
	£66.99
	£64.24
	£60.94
	£58.52
	£45.70
	£35.00
	£571.55
	£504.90
	£372.57
	£339.93
	£317.11
	£312.22
	£273.52
	£273.52
	£267.55
	£242.52
	£231.52
	£228.95
	£217.51
	£202.03
	£190.93
	£189.03
	£175.05
	£157.07
	£149.10
	£146.72
	£145.55
	£142.03
	£137.32
	£133.24
	£129.49
	£125.27
	£118.03
	£114.50
	£109.98
	£105.82
	£104.12
	£95.24
	£95.07
	£90.52
	£87.07
	£77.99
	£75.55
	£73.27
	£66.62
	£63.53
	£60.00
	£58.00
	£41.50
	£35.00
	£558.72
	£393.47
	£363.97
	£339.93
	£315.93
	£293.50
	£273.52
	£268.57
	£266.19
	£242.05
	£231.52
	£227.57
	£214.49
	£202.03
	£190.67
	£187.07
	£172.07
	£156.72
	£147.32
	£145.98
	£144.02
	£139.07
	£136.72
	£133.09
	£128.87
	£123.57
	£117.87
	£113.05
	£109.56
	£105.82
	£103.93
	£95.14
	£95.07
	£89.41
	£83.53
	£77.59
	£75.55
	£70.53
	£66.54
	£62.70
	£60.00
	£57.50
	£40.94
	£20.60
	£553.22
	£390.24
	£354.66
	£336.00
	£313.00
	£289.05
	£273.52
	£268.50
	£265.93
	£241.92
	£229.42
	£222.99
	£210.57
	£196.05
	£190.67
	£184.72
	£157.07
	£155.53
	£147.32
	£145.94
	£144.02
	£139.00
	£134.07
	£132.00
	£128.78
	£121.99
	£115.65
	£110.50
	£109.00
	£105.55
	£103.53
	£95.14
	£94.53
	£89.41
	£83.24
	£77.52
	£74.57
	£69.52
	£66.54
	£61.22
	£60.00
	£56.24
	£40.00
	£10.00
	£529.55
	£389.72
	£346.72
	£321.22
	£312.72
	£287.98
	£273.52
	£268.50
	£248.05
	£238.95
	£229.42
	£222.72
	£210.57
	£194.05
	£189.57
	£182.93
	£157.07
	£152.22
	£146.72
	£145.55
	£142.52
	£138.90
	£134.07
	£131.01
	£126.52
	£119.53
	£114.50
	£110.22
	£109.00
	£105.46
	£97.55
	£95.14
	£93.50
	£89.05
	£83.01
	£77.41
	£74.10
	£67.90
	£66.40
	£61.00
	£60.00
	£51.50
	£40.00
	Part (b) of this question could only be answered at disproportionate cost.

Animal Welfare

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) financial and (b) other support his Department gives to animal rescue centres.

David Heath: Animal rescue centres do not receive any Government funding or direct assistance.

Animal Welfare

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many animal rescue centres there were in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire, (c) the East Midlands and (d) England in each of the last five years.

David Heath: This information is not held by any Government Department.

Animals: Exports

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the (a) annual value added to the UK economy by and (b) annual loss to the UK's slaughter and processing sectors arising from the export of live animals for fattening and slaughter outside the UK.

David Heath: The export of live animals for slaughter and fattening make up a small proportion of animals fattened and slaughtered within the UK. There has been no assessment made of either annual value or annual loss to the economy and the UK's slaughter and processing sectors, respectively.

Apprentices

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many apprentices were employed by (a) his Department, (b) each of its Executive agencies and (c) its key delivery partners in each of the last three years.

Richard Benyon: holding answer 15 July 2013
	The number of apprentices employed by core DEFRA, its Executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) over the last three financial years are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Core DEFRA 39 5 25 
			 Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science 3 10 3 
		
	
	
		
			 Food and Environment Research Agency 1 20 17 
			 Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board 0 2 3 
			 Environment Agency 1 1 1 
			 Natural England 0 0 17 
			 Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 4 4 5 
		
	
	No other DEFRA bodies have apprentices in the year stated.

Apprentices

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many apprenticeships his Department offered to people aged (a) 16 to 18, (b) 19 to 21 and (c) 22 to 26 years old in each year since 2010;
	(2)  what strategies he has to create apprenticeships in his Department; and what plans he has to promote such strategies.

Richard Benyon: A breakdown by age group of the total number of apprenticeships employed by core DEFRA since 2010 is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Age band 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 Total 
			 16-18 0 0 0 0 
			 19-21 0 0 0 0 
			 22-26 7 0 1 8 
			 Over 26 32 5 24 58 
			 Total 39 5 25 69 
		
	
	We are constantly reviewing our approach to recruitment (including that of apprentices) and the development needs of our staff based on our workforce needs. Any future selection of apprentices will be either through:
	The Civil Service Fast Track Apprenticeship Scheme for 18 to 21-year-olds.
	For any other apprentices by following the advice on good practice given in the Civil Service Apprenticeship Framework.

Billing

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many invoices were processed by his Department in the last financial year for which figures are available.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA Shared Services processed a total of 32,486 invoices in the financial year 2012-13 on behalf of Core DEFRA.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many licences have been issued allowing marksmen to take part in the pilot badger culls.

David Heath: Two licences have been issued by Natural England to permit cull companies to control badgers.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make available data from the Government's two pilot badger cull trials on the number of badgers culled in each of the pilot areas (a) at the midway point and (b) on completion of the pilot culls.

David Heath: Details of the two badger cull pilots, including the number of badgers culled in each of the pilot areas, will be published in due course following their completion.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make it his policy that raw data on the (a) proportion of area engaged and (b) proportion of badger population culled in each of the two pilot badger cull areas is published within a week of the completion of the projects.

David Heath: Details of the two pilot culls, including information on the proportion of the area covered and of the badger population culled, will be published in due course following their completion.

Buildings

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many square metres of office space his Department (a) owns and (b) rents in London; and what the value is of that property.

Richard Benyon: The data requested is available online from the data.gov.uk website.
	The link is:
	http://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/epims

Buildings

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the expenditure on office refurbishment by (a) his Department and (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies in each year since 2010-11.

Richard Benyon: The expenditure on office refurbishment by core DEFRA in each year since 2010-11 is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2010-11 5,167,321 
			 2011-12 776,468 
			 2012-13 7,841,579 
			 2013-14 (to date) 6,028,210 
		
	
	The expenditure on office refurbishment by the Department's non-departmental public bodies in each year since 2010-11 is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2010-11 5,552,569 
			 2011-12 2,791,753 
			 2012-13 6,326,584 
			 2013-14 (to date) 1,223,318 
		
	
	This answer includes VAT where this is non-recoverable.
	This answer only covers fitting out works and major projects, as other works are deemed to be maintenance and repair.
	Expenditure is recorded in the same financial reporting year as the cost was recorded in the accounts.

Carbon Emissions

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent on offsetting costs for energy-related carbon dioxide in the last year for which figures are available.

Richard Benyon: It is Core DEFRA's policy to invest in energy efficiency and carbon reduction initiatives rather than on carbon offsetting. Core DEFRA has not spent any money on energy-related carbon offsetting in the last financial year (2012-13).

Charities

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make it his policy to ensure that his Department does not give grants to charities whose principal officers or employees engage in criminal activity at protests.

Richard Benyon: Core DEFRA awards grants to a wide range of bodies. It considers all relevant factors when assessing grant applications against the criteria for the scheme, including value for money. That process does not routinely seek information on the activities of employees or principal officers, other than the activity for which the grant is made.

Christmas Cards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his private ministerial office spent on sending Christmas cards in 2012.

Richard Benyon: The cost of sending Christmas cards from the Secretary of State in 2012 was £37.

Coastal Erosion

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to protect the (a) UK coastline and (b) Saltdean, Telscombe Cliffs and Peacehaven stretch of coastline from erosion.

Richard Benyon: The Government is on course to spend £2.3 billion on preventing flooding and coastal erosion over the current spending review period. The Environment Agency has a strategic overview role for managing coastal change alongside local authorities, which undertake the role of coast protection authority. Together the Environment Agency and coast protection authorities monitor coastal change, predict trends and make strategic plans through the 22 Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs) for England and Wales.
	The Saltdean, Telscombe Cliffs and Peacehaven stretch of coastline is covered by the “Beachy Head to Selsey Bill” SMP. This proposes a policy of 'hold the line' for the majority of the frontage. However, at Telscombe and between Newhaven and Peacehaven, 'no active intervention' is proposed.
	Lewes district council and Brighton and Hove city council are the coast protection authorities in this area and have appointed consultants to produce a “Newhaven to Brighton Marina” Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy. The strategy will evaluate the most sustainable option to maintain the coastline over the next 100 years in order to deliver the policies set out within the SMP.

Deloitte

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Huddersfield of 15 July 2013, Official Report, column 478W on accountancy, what the purpose of each contract with Deloitte is.

Richard Benyon: holding answer 10 September 2013
	The following table sets out the available information on contracts between core DEFRA and Deloitte correlating to the spend data referred to in PQ 0662 (Mr Sheerman) from 2009-10 onwards.
	We do not have a central record of contracts in place before 2009-10 and cannot therefore provide the requested information for that period.
	
		
			 Title/description Contract start date Contract end date 
			 Rural Payment Agency debt and data project 1 February 2010 31 March 2010 
			 Rural Payment Agency Control Remediation Support 1 February 2010 31 March 2010 
			 Rural Payment Agency Operational support 1 February 2010 31 March 2010 
			 Internal Audit Services 1 April 2009 31 March 2011 
			 Rural Payment Agency Operational Support—Control remediation, hedging and operational support 1 April 2010 31 July 2010 
			 Rural Payments Agency Single Payments Scheme debt and data project - Ongoing support for Rural Payment Agency's Single Payments Scheme improvement project 1 April 2010 30 July 2010 
			 Rural Payments Agency Operations support, post July 2010 1 August 2010 30 April 2011 
			 Oracle Interrogation for DEFRA Shared Services Directorate 1 September 2012 31 March 2013 
			 Rural Payment Agency 2011 Finance support—Operational support and Finance Development Programme 1 December 2010 31 March 2012 
			 Expertise on starting up an Non Departmental Public Body—Sustainable Development Commission 7 February 2011 8 February 2011 
			 Deloitte contractor work—security analysis of Oracle E-Business Suite 11 February 2010 12 February 2010 
			 DEFRA Rural Payment Agency Review: Workstream 1—Finance and Data 14 September 2009 31 March 2010 
			 Deloitte contract: "Security analysis of Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) and underlying database at DEFRA Shared Services Directorate" 16 December 2010 16 December 2010 
			 Deloitte—Oracle access and segregation of duty analysis—Deloitte 27 March 2012 1 April 2012

Employment Agencies

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many employment agency staff are currently employed under the Swedish Derogation in (a) his Department and (b) each executive agency and non-departmental public body for which he is responsible.

Richard Benyon: holding answer 9 September 2013
	Core DEFRA currently has 41 people provided through an employment agency under the Swedish Derogation model.
	The Rural Payments Agency currently has seven people provided through an employment agency under the Swedish Derogation model.
	Natural England currently has 114 people provided through an employment agency under the Swedish Derogation model.

Employment Agencies

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff working in his Department are employed through agencies using the Swedish Derogation; how many staff receive less than the living wage; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: Core DEFRA currently has 41 people provided through an employment agency under the Swedish Derogation model all whom receive at least the national minimum wage.
	Of those 41 people, 13 in London receive less than the London living wage and one person outside London receives less than the national living wage.

Environmental Civil Sanctions (England) Order 2010

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress he has made on the review of civil sanctions granted in the Environmental Sanctions (England) Order 2010, as required by section 67 of the Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008.

Richard Benyon: The review of civil sanctions granted in the Environmental Sanctions (England) Order 2010 is ongoing. This includes a social research element which is currently out for procurement tender. DEFRA aims to publish the full report in spring 2014.

Fisheries: Morocco

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make it his policy to propose that the new protocol to the EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement should be limited to Morocco's exclusive economic zone.

Richard Benyon: The new protocol to. the fisheries partnership agreement between the European Union and the Kingdom of Morocco has not yet been agreed by the Council and the European Parliament.
	The protocol as initialled would apply to waters off Morocco and Western Sahara, the majority of which is under the de facto administration of Morocco.

Fisheries: Morocco

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make it his policy that the new protocol to the EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement states the geographic limits of the area to which it will apply.

Richard Benyon: The Government agrees that any new protocol to the fisheries partnership agreement between the European Union and the Kingdom of Morocco should clearly state the geographic area to which it would apply.

Floods: Tees Valley

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding he will provide to increase the flood resilience of Guisborough.

Richard Benyon: The Environment Agency has planned a flood scheme for Guisborough to begin in 2016-17. The estimated cost of this scheme is £1.1 million and will protect approximately 94 properties.

Floods: Tees Valley

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding he will provide to increase the flood resilience of (a) Skinningrove, (b) Brotton, (c) Loftus, (d) Skelton and (e) surrounding areas.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA provide funding to improve flood resilience through Flood and Coastal Risk Management Grant in Aid. This funding is invested in capital schemes and on-going programmes of maintenance to improve flood resilience. A list of the current programme of works in the above locations is provided as follows.
	(a) Skinningrove
	£3.78 million has been planned for a local authority led coastal erosion scheme. This will protect 149 properties. £30,000 will be invested to replace one of the flood warning sirens in Skinningrove and to undertake maintenance work on the existing flood walls and gates. These flood management assets protect 179 properties.
	(b) Brotton
	The Environment Agency is working with Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council (as the Lead Local Flood Authority) to consider solutions to surface water and ordinary watercourses at Brotton.
	(c) Loftus
	£90,000 will be invested to repair a degraded culvert and to undertake work to increase the clearance under Haugh Bridge at Loftus. This will increase the protection to 27 properties.
	(d) Skelton
	The Environment Agency is working with Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council (as the Lead Local Flood Authority) to consider solutions to surface water and ordinary watercourses at Skelton.
	(e) Surrounding areas
	£9.4 million from the Projects for Acceleration and Growth funding will be invested in Port Clarence protecting approximately 350 properties. This work will start in 2015 and take two years to complete. A further £1.6 million will be invested in Lustrum Beck protecting approximately 200 properties.

Floods: Tees Valley

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding he will provide to increase the flood resilience of Teesside.

Richard Benyon: The Environment Agency recently completed a coastal flooding and erosion protection scheme at Redcar at a cost of £25 million.
	Currently, over £18 million of investment is planned for the flood resilience of Teesside.

Floods: Tees Valley

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding he will provide to increase the flood resilience of Saltburn.

Richard Benyon: Historically there has been very little flooding in Saltburn. The Environment Agency is working with the local authority, Redcar and Cleveland Council, to investigate the cause of flooding that occurred on 6 September. However, at this stage, there are currently no specific flood management improvements identified in this area.
	With no previous history of flooding there are no flood defence assets within Saltburn. DEFRA continues to provide funding to the Environment Agency to support communities across Teesside in understanding and responding to their flood risk.

Grants

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department gave to (a) CPRE, (b) Cheltenham Animal Shelter, (c) Friends of the Earth, Scotland, (d) Green Alliance, (e) Freedom Foods Ltd, (f) Greenpeace, (g) Mammals Trust, (h) RSPCA, (i) RSPB, (j) Salmon and Trout Association, (k) The Country Trust, (l) The Mammal Society, (m) The National Trust, (n) The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust and (o) Friends of the Earth, Wales in each of the last two years; and for what reasons each such contribution was made.

Richard Benyon: This table sets out the amounts paid to the organisations listed in financial years 2011-12 and 2012-13:
	
		
			 £ 
			 Organisation 2011-12 2012-13 
			 (a) CPRE 0 0 
			 (b) Cheltenham Animal Shelter 0 0 
			 (c) Friends of the Earth, Scotland 0 0 
			 (d) Green Alliance 0 40,000 
			 (e) Freedom Foods Ltd. 0 0 
			 (f) Greenpeace 0 0 
			 (g) Mammals Trust 0 0 
			 (h) RSPCA 0 199 
			 (i) RSPB 884,303 726,075 
			 (j) Salmon and Trout Association 0 0 
			 (k) The Country Trust 0 0 
			 (l) The Mammal Society 0 0 
			 (m) The National Trust 115,690 81,252 
			 (n) The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust 65,765 62,856 
			 (o) Friends of the Earth, Wales 0 0 
		
	
	The money paid to these organisations contributed to a wide range of DEFRA's objectives, including establishing the Green Alliance Circular Economy Task Force, a multi-objective flood management project and wild bird disease surveillance. The figure for RSPB includes grants made under the Darwin initiative for biodiversity projects overseas and research contracts, for example, in relation to farmland birds.

Litter: Beaches

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to better educate the public on the need to pick up litter from beaches.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA works with and supports Keep Britain Tidy to campaign to change people's behaviour around litter, and to call on everyone to “Love where you live”.
	Keep Britain Tidy administers the Blue Flag programme and Quality Coast Awards in England. These international campaigns aim to improve the environmental management and public awareness of coastal areas. Keep Britain Tidy also runs the Eco-Schools programme, which works with schools to develop young people's awareness of local environmental quality issues, and to change littering habits from a young age.
	DEFRA's marine executive agency, the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), is one of 39 European partners including NGOs, governments, educational institutes and commercial interests working on the EU MARLISCO project, which is aimed at addressing the social and economic impacts of marine litter by encouraging attitude and behaviour change.

Litter: Brighton

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the Big Beach clean up in Brighton in July 2013; what his policy is on clean beaches; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA has not made any assessment of the Big Beach Clean-up in Brighton.
	It is never acceptable to litter and individuals must take personal responsibility for their actions. Local authorities are required to keep their relevant land clear of litter and refuse; this includes beaches above the high water mark. The standards they are expected to achieve are set out in the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse. Local authorities are advised to monitor and clean beaches below the high water mark areas as appropriate, and to do as much cleansing as is practicable. It is recognised that beaches present unique challenges and they may not always be cleaned to the maximum standard possible because of the terrain, conditions, accessibility and the need to be sensitive to habitats.
	DEFRA works with and supports the work of Keep Britain Tidy, which runs the globally recognised Blue Flag beach award in England. This year, 55 beaches in England were awarded a Blue Flag, and 113 achieved the new Seaside Award (formerly the Quality Coast Award).

Livestock: Disease Control

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects the surveillance review of potentially-diseased animals to be published.

David Heath: The Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency will publish details of the new model for veterinary scanning surveillance in England and Wales in the next few weeks.

Livestock: Disease Control

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received on current levels of surveillance in (a) England and (b) north Yorkshire.

David Heath: Following the recommendation of the Surveillance Advisory Group, the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) initiated the Surveillance 2014 project. The project aims to create a new, more effective and financially sustainable surveillance system, including improving access through better geographical coverage; better partnership working; and developing deeper specialist skills and knowledge.
	The project undertook a public consultation between 13 December 2012 and 15 February 2013 and gathered over 370 responses. The consultation and summary of responses are published on the AHVLA website at:
	www.defra.gov.uk/ahvla-en/about-us/consultations
	As the responses were submitted via an online survey and by e-mail, it is not possible to know how many were from north Yorkshire. However, during the consultation period, there was also a series of 10 open regional workshops which included one at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate that was attended by 33 delegates. A summary of the information gathered at the workshops is also published on the AHVLA website at:
	www.defra.gov.uk/ahvla-en/files/surveillance14-consultation-summary-app2.pdf

Livestock: Transport

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 5 September 2013, Official Report, column 499W, on livestock: transport 
	(1)  upon whom each statutory notice concerned was served;
	(2)  what type of animal the breaches concerned in each case;
	(3)  in what circumstances each statutory notice concerned was served; and for what specific reason each such notice was served.

David Heath: Information on the transporters who received statutory notices cannot be provided. To do so in respect of those transporters that are sole traders would, we believe, contravene data protection laws. In cases where the infringement is serious, such information might prejudice any investigation and possible prosecution being taken by the relevant local authority. For further details on the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency’s regulatory policy in relation to welfare during transport legislation is available at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/ahvla-en/publication/advice-wato-enforcement/
	In each case, sheep were the animals concerned.
	Of the seven notices served, six notices were served at the supervised loadings and one of the notices was served in the port. The notices were served for the following reasons: two notices were served for documentary irregularities; two notices were served because animals were not fit for the intended journey; and three notices were served for breaches of the technical rules set out in the regulation.

Livestock: Transport

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 10 September 2013, Official Report, column 674W, on livestock: transport, on what grounds those 18 vehicles that were subject to additional checks by Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency inspectors at the port of exit were selected for those additional checks.

David Heath: Vehicles are selected for additional checks at the port on the basis of a combination of risk analysis and random selection.

Livestock: Transport

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 10 September 2013, Official Report, column 674W, on livestock: transport, for what reasons Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency inspectors did not select all 46 vehicles for additional checks on departure.

David Heath: All of the vehicles were subject to inspection at point of loading onto the vehicle. To inspect all of the vehicles again would not be proportionate.

Livestock: Transport

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether, when the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency checks journey logs under Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport, consideration is given to the requirement for drivers of livestock vehicles to comply with the rules on driving times set out in Regulation EC 561/2006 on the harmonisation of certain social legislation relating to road transport.

David Heath: The legislation on welfare during transport (Council Regulation (EC) 1/2005) stipulates what member states shall check when approving journey logs. Among other things, Article 14 requires that the journey log is realistic and indicates compliance with the terms of the Council Regulation. It does not require any checks of compliance with other legislation, including that relating to the rules on road transport.

Meat: EU Action

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the EU Commission on mechanically separated meat; and if he will make a statement.

David Heath: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is responsible for policy on mechanically separated meat (MSM). During the summer, senior FSA officials met senior European Commission officials including the director-general for health and consumers. They reaffirmed the need for EU level discussions as a matter of urgency, further to the publication of a European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) scientific opinion on the safety of MSM derived from poultry and pork and the continued uncertainty relating to the interpretation of the EU rules and guidance on MSM.

Ministers’ Private Offices

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many full-time equivalent staff of each Civil Service grade are currently employed in the private office of each Minister in his Department; and what the pay band of each such member of staff is.

Richard Benyon: The number of staff (in full-time equivalents) currently working in each of the Minsters' Private Offices is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   AO EO HEO Grade 7 Grade 6 SCS Total 
			 Owen Paterson Secretary of State 1.00 2.00 2.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 8.00 
			 David Heath Minister of State for Agriculture and Food — 1.00 2.00 1.00 — — 4.00 
			 Richard Benyon Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Natural Environment, Water and Rural Affairs — 1.00 2.00 1.00 — — 4.00 
			 Lord de Mauley Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Resource Management, the Local Environment and Environmental Science 0.40 1.00 1.00 1.00 — — 3.40 
			 Total  1.40 5.00 7.00 4.00 1.00 1.00 19.40

National Wildlife Crime Unit

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit was provided by (a) his Department, (b) the Home Department, (c) the Scottish Government, (d) the Northern Ireland Executive, (e) the Association of Chief Police Officers and (f) other bodies in each of the last eight years.

Richard Benyon: The National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) was launched in October 2006.
	For the financial years 2006-07 and 2007-08, a detailed breakdown of different organisations' contributions to the funding is not available but the Unit received £308,417 and £476,296 respectively. For subsequent financial years the breakdown is given in the following table:
	
		
			 £ 
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 
			 DEFRA 150,000 150,000 150,000 144,000 136,000 136,000 
			 Home Office 150,000 150,000 150,000 110,729 110,440 (1)136,000 
		
	
	
		
			 Scottish Government 50,000 50,000 50,000 45,000 45,000 45,000 
			 Dept of Environment Northern Ireland 5,000 5,000 0 5,000 5,000 5,000 
			 ACPO 70,000 73,000 75,000 75,000 75,000 75,000 
			 Others 16,500 17,981 51,521 25,000 30,000 55,500 
			 Total 441,500 445,981 476,521 404,729 401,440 452,500 
			 (1) Subject to the provision of evidence of need to be provided by the NWCU, the Home Office will make a specific cash payment to support the activities undertaken by the NWCU during 2013-14, subject to a maximum payment of £136,000.

Nature Conservation: Crime

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the Law Commission about its review of wildlife legislation; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: Officials have had a number of discussions with the Law Commission during the course of this project.
	The Law Commission has now completed its consultation on reforming wildlife law legislation. It will publish a report shortly setting out its conclusions following consultation. We have agreed that the project should move to the next stage, which includes the drafting of a legislative instrument and a report setting out the Law Commission’s final recommendations for reform.

Nature Conservation: Crime

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many wildlife crime incidents were dealt with by (a) Natural England and (b) the Environment Agency in each of the last five years; and how many of those incidents led to prosecutions in each year.

Richard Benyon: The following table shows the wildlife crimes dealt with by Natural England relating to the Wildlife arid Countryside Act 1981, and the prosecutions which resulted:
	
		
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Wildlife crime incident type      
			 Protected sites 96 118 100 83 96 
			 Prosecutions 2 2 0 4 0 
			 Breach of licence conditions (1)— 38 44 26 (2)18 
			 Prosecutions 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme (poisoning) 175 162 135 143 131 
			 Prosecutions 6 (3)3 3 3 (3)2 
			 Total incidents 271 318 279 252 245 
			 Total prosecutions 8 5 3 7 2 
			 (1) Data not held in an accessible format (2) Provisional figure (3) There was one police caution issued (in addition to the prosecutions) for each of these years. 
		
	
	The Environment Agency has no prosecution powers under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. It can prosecute fisheries offences which may include poaching, one of the UK's six wildlife crime priorities. Data are not yet available for 2011-12 onwards and it is not possible to separate out how many of the offences detailed in the following table are poaching offences.
	
		
			 Reports of illegal fishing activity and number of successful prosecutions 
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Notifications of illegal fishing activity 2,139 2,806 2,730 
			 Prosecutions 71 83 59

Press: Subscriptions

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which newspapers, periodicals and trade profession publications his private ministerial office subscribes to on a (a) daily, (b) weekly, (c) monthly and (d) quarterly basis.

Richard Benyon: Newspapers, periodicals and trade profession publications for private ministerial offices subscribed to on a (a) daily, (b) weekly, (c) monthly and (d) quarterly basis are as follows:
	Daily
	The Financial Times
	The Times
	The Daily Telegraph
	The Independent
	The Guardian
	The Sun
	The Daily Mirror
	The Daily Mail
	The Daily Express
	Weekly
	The Economist
	Farmers Weekly
	Farmers Guardian
	Private Eye
	The Fishing News
	Monthly
	None
	Quarterly
	Vachers Quarterly

Public Relations

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department and its associated public bodies spent on (a) external public relations consultants and (b) public affairs consultants, in each of the past three years; and for what purposes such consultants were engaged.

Richard Benyon: Core DEFRA has not spent any money on external public relations or public affairs consultants in the last three years.
	CEFAS (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science) contracted Redhouse Lane in 2010 to review their marketing approach, develop a messaging toolkit and deliver workshops. This was to enable CEFAS to raise its profile among potential new customers in the public sector and wider commercial markets. Seeking work with the private sector is a key part of CEFAS’ remit. The cost of this contract was £17,800.
	The Sea Fish Industry Authority (a Levy Board, funded by the Seafish industry) funded three projects totalling £250,500, over the last three financial years. These were for consumer education on increasing seafood consumption (£94,000); a consumer Seafish education campaign (£71,000); and Fish is the Dish (£85,500).

Publications

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will list (a) the title and subject, (b) the total cost to his Department and (c) the commissioned author or organisation of each external report commissioned by his Department in each year since 2010.

Richard Benyon: Information on DEFRA research reports commissioned from external organisations (including title, subject, cost and contractor) is available on the Science Search website:
	http://randd.defra.gov.uk/

Publishing

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent in each of the last three years on hard copy printing of documents for external audiences.

Richard Benyon: Our policy is to make all our publications available on the internet, and to rely on this as our primary distribution route. We aim to avoid printing and distributing hard copies of publications wherever that is practical.
	This question could be answered only at disproportionate cost, because this information is not held centrally.

Rural Areas: Wind Power

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received on possible links between the siting of wind farms and water pollution in rural areas.

Richard Benyon: The Secretary of State has received no representations on possible links between the siting of wind farms and water pollution in rural areas.

Rural Areas: Wind Power

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research his Department has conducted on potential links between the siting of wind farms and water pollution in rural areas.

Richard Benyon: No specific research has been done on the effects of wind farms on water pollution in rural areas. However, wind farm schemes must seek planning permission via the local authority before construction. The planning permission must include an acceptable environmental impact statement, which includes the impacts of potential emission of pollutants and how this will be mitigated.
	Environment Agency pollution incident records show no significant impact on water quality from the construction and operation of wind farms.

Satellite Broadcasting

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what subscriptions his Department has for premium satellite television channels; and what the cost of each such subscription was in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Richard Benyon: Core DEFRA does not hold any subscriptions to premium satellite television channels; non-terrestrial television is received via Freeview.

Security

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many departmental identity cards or passes have been reported lost or stolen by staff in his Department since May 2010.

Richard Benyon: Since May 2010, 224 departmental identity cards or passes have been reported lost and 19 reported stolen.

Staff

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many of his Department's jobs have been relocated from London to each region of the UK in each of the last 10 years.

Richard Benyon: Major office relocations from the core Department in London to other parts of the UK in each of the last 10 years are estimated as follows:
	
		
			 Business unit Number of jobs relocated From To Relocation date 
			 Human Resources 31 London Yorkshire and Humber March 2004 
			 Human Resources 9 London Worcestershire March 2004 
			 Finance 7 London Northumberland July 2005 
			 Estates 33 London Yorkshire and Humber March 2007 
			 Finance 37 London Yorkshire and Humber September 2007 
			 Information Management 8 London Northumberland March 2008 
			 Shared Service Organisation 36 London Yorkshire and Humber March 2008 
			 Marine Management Organisation (MMO) (1)154 London Newcastle-Upon-Tyne October 2009 to March 2010 
			 Procurement 21 London Yorkshire and Humber January 2012 
			 (1) 154 MMO posts were originally based in the core Department. MMO was vested as a NDPB on 1 April 2010. This table does not cover DEFRA executive agencies or other arm’s length bodies, many of which have offices outside London. 
		
	
	Other individual posts may have relocated from London to each region of the UK but identifying this additional level of detail could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Standards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the reasons are for the time taken to publish his Department's Quarterly Data Summary for the second quarter of 2012-13 and the third quarter of 2012-13.

Richard Benyon: The Quarter 2 and Quarter 3 Quarterly Data Summary (QDS) returns for DEFRA, along with all the other Departments participating in the QDS process, were delayed owing to the development of the Cabinet Office's Government Interrogating Spending Tool (GIST). The GIST was developed in response to recommendations made in Dr Martin Read's independent report entitled 'Practical Steps to Improve Management Information in Government'. The GIST is an online tool that allows the public to access a breakdown of Government expenditure through the Gov.UK website:
	www.gov.uk
	It makes the process of accessing and analysing complex QDS and OSCAR data easier and quicker, and for these reasons was seen to justify a short delay in publishing QDS data.

Television

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many flat screen televisions have been purchased by his Department in the last 24 months; and what the cost to the public purse was of such purchases.

George Eustice: Core DEFRA purchased three flat screen televisions in the last 24 months. The costs are shown in the following table.
	
		
			 2012 Purchase Cost (£) 
			 March 42” LCD TV 498.93 
			 March 47” LCD display screen 743.51 
			 September 40” LED display screen 847.86

Travel

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on travel for departmental officials in each of the last five years.

Richard Benyon: The following table sets out the information requested. These figures include the cost of ministerial travel.
	
		
			  Expenditure (£) 
			 2008-09 4,354,050 
			 2009-10 3,626,383 
			 2010-11 2,338,823 
			 2011-12 2,376,362 
			 2012-13 2,289,221

Trillium

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent on contracts with Trillium Group in each year since 2008.

Richard Benyon: Core DEFRA has not incurred any expenditure on contracts with Trillium Group since 2008.

Veterinary Laboratories Agency: Thirsk

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will maintain the facility to conduct post mortems at Thirsk Veterinary Laboratory; and if he will make a statement.

David Heath: The Independent Surveillance Advisory Group (SAG) was established in 2011 so all those with an interest in veterinary surveillance could help shape a future model and ensure that all issues were thoroughly considered. The Surveillance Advisory Group's final report
	www.defra.gov.uk/ahvla-en/publication/sag-final-report
	was published by AHVLA on 10 April 2012.
	Following the SAG's recommendation, the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) initiated the Surveillance 2014 project. The project aims to create a new, more effective and financially sustainable surveillance system, including improving access through better geographical coverage, through better partnership working and by developing deeper specialist skills and knowledge.
	Surveillance 2014 launched a public consultation on 13 December 2012 until 15 February 2013 and AHVLA gathered over 370 responses. The consultation and summary of responses are published on the AHVLA website:
	www.defra.gov.uk/ahvla-en/about-us/consultations
	AHVLA are currently developing a proposal, based on the SAG report and the consultation, on what the future delivery model for veterinary surveillance will look like, which includes locations of all its veterinary laboratories, including Thirsk. No final decision has been made and AHVLA will publish details of the proposed new model in the next few weeks.

Water: South East

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of water quality in the south-east.

Richard Benyon: Water quality in the south-east is monitored through the EU water framework directive. In 2011, the Environment Agency assessed 968 water bodies in the south-east, of which, 74% were at moderate or good status. In order to improve the quality of our waters, the Environment Agency completed approximately 3,000 investigations. This evidence has been used to target action and investment to protect and improve waters.
	The Environment Agency assesses the water quality of 96 bathing waters in the south-east each year. In 2012, every bathing water met the minimum standard required by the EU bathing water directive.

Wind Power: Rural Areas

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to be in a position to publish the report that his Department has commissioned with regard to the effects of land-based wind farms upon property prices in rural areas.

Richard Benyon: holding answer 12 September 2013
	DEFRA has commissioned a study of the effects that a range of different types of energy infrastructure may have on property prices. This work is ongoing, and no firm date has yet been set for the publication of the final report.

EDUCATION

Absenteeism

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the rates of staff (a) absence and (b) sickness absence in his Department in each of the past five years were; and what the departmental targets were in each case.

Elizabeth Truss: The rates of staff sickness absence and unauthorised absence for the last five years are provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Average working days lost per staff year 
			 12 months ending Sickness absence Unauthorised absence 
			 August 2009 7.40 n/a 
			 August 2010 6.03 0.31 
			 August 2011 5.57 0.19 
			 August 2012 4.86 0.32 
			 August 2013 4.64 0.29 
		
	
	Data for unauthorised absence in the 12 months to August 2009 is not held by the Department.
	The Department does not specify targets for staff absence.

Academies: Insurance

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will issue guidance to governors of free schools and academies on the financial and legal implications of not obtaining public liability insurance for (a) asbestos risks and (b) risks associated with radon for their pupils and other non-employees.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education already issues guidance to all schools, including academies and free schools, which emphasises the importance of having public liability insurance, available at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/emergencyplanning/a0010634/guidanceoninsurance
	and the safe management of asbestos in schools, available at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/schoolscapital/buildingsanddesign/managementofpremises/b00215518/asbestosmanagementschools
	It is the responsibility of academies and free schools to obtain appropriate insurance. Given the general asbestos exclusion and general exclusions for contamination in public liability insurance, it is not possible to advise schools to obtain insurance that explicitly covers such risks.

Accountancy

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department has spent on accountants in each year since 2010.

Elizabeth Truss: Total expenditure on accountants is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2010-11 56,271 
			 2011-12 2,700 
			 2012-13 1,522,612 
			 2013-14 (year to date) 726,447 
		
	
	The Department has taken expenditure on accountants to mean expenditure relating to financial accounting services.
	Data for 2012-13 and 2013-14 are not comparable with earlier years, as they include expenditure by the Department's Executive agencies which were only brought within the Department from 2012-13.

Air Travel

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many individual domestic air flights were undertaken within Great Britain by representatives of (a) his Department and (b) its associated public bodies in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what the cost to the public purse of each such flight was.

Elizabeth Truss: For the financial year 2012-13 a total of 65 domestic flights were made by staff of the Department and its executive agencies at total cost of £9,882.88.
	This is down from 339 flights at a cost of £57,713.88 in 2009-10, the last year of the previous Government.
	No domestic flights were undertaken by staff in any of the associated arm's length bodies.

Billing

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department makes of a contractor's previous performance in paying sub-contractors when awarding that company further contracts.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department does not use a contractor's previous performance in paying sub-contractors into account when awarding contracts. However, if an existing contractor breached their contract conditions to pay sub-contractors on time then action would be taken to remedy the breach with the ultimate sanction of contract termination.

Billing

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to ensure that all contractors shortlisted for the new schools framework comply with the Government's new contractual requirements for suppliers' payments; and if he will take steps to ensure that all sub-contractors are also paid within their payment terms.

Elizabeth Truss: The standard form Design and Build contract used on the Education Funding Agency (EFA) Contractors Framework makes it obligatory for the contractor to comply with the Office of Government Commerce Fair Payment Guide. This requires the contractor to make payment to its supply chain with a total period not exceeding 30 calendar days. Furthermore, where the EFA is the procuring authority, the new Framework will provide for project bank accounts to be used where the scale and scope of the projects makes it reasonable to do so. Project bank accounts generally enable upper tiers of sub-contractors to receive payment at the same time as the main contractor.
	The Department is not a party to contracts between contractors and their sub-contractors.

Billing

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to tackle duplicate payments to its suppliers.

Elizabeth Truss: By the end of the current financial year, the Department will have undertaken a spend recovery audit, which will identify any duplicate supplier payments so recovery action can be taken.

Buildings

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what refurbishments to his Department’s buildings have been carried out in the last 24 months; and at what cost.

Elizabeth Truss: The cost of refurbishments since May 2010 are a fraction of the cost of the £14.2 million refurbishment of sanctuary buildings undertaken by the previous Government between 2006 and 2010.
	During the period 1 September 2011 to 1 September 2013, two refurbishments of the Department’s buildings were undertaken, both of which have resulted in substantial savings for the taxpayer:
	1. A cost-saving measure at the National College for School Leadership’s Learning and Conference Centre, Nottingham to change from serviced to self-service tea-point areas for delegates. The project was completed between May and June 2012 at a cost of £17,000. The change to not providing free hot drinks to staff has saved approximately £34,240 a year. The cost of the refurbishment was therefore recouped within a year.
	2. The Department’s office in Histon, near Cambridge, was refurbished between January and March 2012 at a project cost of £159,000. This project enabled the closure of another office in Ipswich, resulting in a saving of c£100,000 per annum. The cost of the refurbishment will be recouped after two years.
	The cumulative savings generated by these two refurbishments already amount to c£192,800—more than the original up-front costs of £176,000.

Buildings

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many square metres of office space his Department (a) owns and (b) rents in London; and what the value is of that property.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education does not own any office space in London. Details of the office space it rents are shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Location Total (m(2)) Area occupied by DFE (m(2)) Area occupied by DFE sub-tenants (m(2)) 
			 Sanctuary Buildings 21,098 18,624.50 2,473.50 
			 33 Greycoat Street 1,591 1,381 210 
		
	
	As the Department does not own the properties, we do not know the current market value of the buildings.

Buildings

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the expenditure on office refurbishment by (a) his Department and (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies in each year since 2010-11.

Elizabeth Truss: The office refurbishments recently undertaken by the Department for Education (DFE) are set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Cost Comments 
			 2006-10 c£14.2 million The total refurbishment of Sanctuary Buildings was c£14.2 million over a four year period. The project commenced from November 2006. 
			 2010-11 c£60,000 Minor refurbishment of Castle View House, Runcorn. 
			 2011-12 c£200,000 DFE ALB Reform Programme. This included the refurbishment of the Department's office in Histon, near Cambridge. Project cost of £159,000. This enabled the more efficient use of the Department's existing estate, resulting in a saving of c£100,000 a year. The cost of refurbishment will be recouped after two years. 
			 2012-13 c£17,000 A cost-saving measure at the National College for School Leadership's Learning and Conference Centre, Nottingham, to change from serviced to self-service tea-point area for delegates. The project was completed between May and June 2012 at a cost of £17,000. The change to not providing free hot drinks to staff has saved approximately £34,240 a year. The cost of the refurbishment was therefore recouped within a year. 
		
	
	Recent known NDPB refurbishment costs are as follows:
	
		
			  Cost Comments 
			 2009-10 c£4.6 million Refurbishment of the British Education Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA) facility in the University Business Park Coventry and the TDA building in Manchester. 
			 2010-11 c£50,000 Minor refurbishment work: The Office of Children's Commissioner. (OCC) carried out work to vacant DFE offices in Greycoat Street (£28,000) enabling them to move from London Bridge offices creating a saving of £150,000 a year. The Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) spent £22,000 on refurbishing offices at Albion Street, Leeds. 
			 2011-12 c£40,000 The Teaching and Development Agency moved from expensive premises in Buckingham Palace Road, London to Manchester Piccadilly Gate saving c£4 million a year. 
		
	
	The cumulative annual savings (to 30 September 2013) generated by these refurbishments since 2010-11 amount to £10.8 million—far higher than the upfront capital costs at £367,000.

Buildings

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the number of office relocations made by staff of (a) his Department and (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies (i) within the original building and (ii) to other buildings in each year since 2009-10; what the cost of (A) removals and (B) refurbishments related to such moves has been; and on how many occasions offices refurbished by his Department in that period have been used by his Department's staff for less than four years before a further move.

Elizabeth Truss: Since 2009-10 the Department for Education has reduced the size of its office estate, enabling extra space to be sub-let. The Department does not hold details of the number of individual staff moves involved.
	As part of its arm's length body (ALB) reform programme, the Department moved some 900 staff between its ALB properties and existing DFE sites. This enabled the Department to surrender six properties, delivering property cost reductions of in the region of £6 million a year. We also moved about 250 staff within the ALB properties enabling us to make more efficient use of space.
	The Training and Development Agency (TDA) moved approximately 300 staff from central London to Manchester which achieved total savings of circa £4 million. The Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA) moved about 250 staff from central London to Coventry, which achieved total savings of circa £3.8 million.
	(a) Removals
	DFE removal costs since 2009-10 are:
	
		
			  Cost (circa £) 
			 2009-10 0 
			 2010-11 0 
			 2011-12 13,000 
			 2012-13 20,000 
			 2013-14 0 
		
	
	NDPB removal costs since 2009-10 are:
	
		
			  Cost (circa £) 
			 2009-10 (1)85,000 
			 2010-11 6,000 
			 2011-12 0 
			 2012-13 0 
			 2013-14 0 
			 (1) The Department does not hold the costs for the TDA and QCDA moves in 2009-10. We have therefore used a cost of £150 per person for this calculation. 
		
	
	(b) Refurbishments
	Recent DFE refurbishment costs are as follows:
	
		
			  Cost (circa £) Comments 
			 2006-10 14,200,000 The total refurbishment of the Sanctuary Buildings was circa £14.2million over a four year period. The project commenced from November 2006. 
			 2010-11 60,000 Minor refurbishment of Castle View House, Runcorn. 
			 2011-12 200,000 DFE ALB reform programme, including the refurbishment of the Department's office in Histon, near Cambridge. Project cost of £159,000. This enabled the more efficient use of the Department's existing estate, resulting in a saving of circa £100,000 a year. The cost of refurbishment will be recouped after two years. 
		
	
	
		
			 2012-13 17,000 A cost-saving measure at the National College for School Leadership's Learning and Conference Centre, in Nottingham to change from serviced to self-service tea-point areas for delegates. The project was completed between May and June 2012 at a cost of £17,000. The change to not providing free hot drinks to staff has saved approximately £34,240 a year. The cost of the refurbishment was therefore recouped within a year. 
		
	
	Recent known NDPB refurbishment costs are as follows:
	
		
			  Cost (circa £) Comments 
			 2009-10 4,600,000 Refurbishment of the British Education Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA) facility in the University Business Park Coventry and the TDA building in Manchester. 
			 2010-11 50,000 Minor refurbishment work to DFE offices in Greycoat street costing £28,000 enabling staff to move from London Bridge offices creating a saving of £150,000 a year. The Children's Workforce Development Council spent £22,000 on refurbishing offices at Albion Street, Leeds. 
			 2011-12 40,000 The Training and Development Agency moved from expensive premises in Buckingham Palace Road London to Manchester Piccadilly Gate saving circa £4 million a year. 
		
	
	The cumulative annual savings (to 30 September 2013) generated by these refurbishments since 2010-11 amount to £10.8 million—far higher than the upfront capital costs at £367,000.
	The Department has made significant progress in reducing the size and cost of its estate. In April 2010, there were four buildings on the core DFE estate (London, Sheffield, Runcorn and Darlington) but including the ALBs (except for CAFCASS) the Department had a total of 30 properties with some £51 million per annum property costs. Over the last two and a half years we have reduced this to 12 occupied properties, saving £17.5 million a year.
	To date, no offices were occupied for less than four years.

Children: Day Care

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many Ofsted inspectors have been the subject of three or more complaints from childcare providers about the quality or result of an unscheduled inspection since August 2008;
	(2)  how many ex-gratia payments Ofsted has made with respect to upheld complaints from childcare providers downgraded after being subject to an unscheduled inspection in each month since August 2008; and what the combined value is of those payments.

Elizabeth Truss: These questions are for Ofsted to answer. I have asked Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, to write to the hon. Member. Copies of his replies will be placed in the House Library.

Children: Day Care

Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to the announcement by the Deputy Prime Minister of 2 September 2013, how many children in (a) Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency and (b) North Yorkshire will be eligible for free childcare on 1 October (i) 2013 and (ii) 2014.

Elizabeth Truss: We have made no estimate of numbers of children likely to be eligible in each individual constituency. With reference to the 2 September 2013 announcement, we estimate that around 806 two-year-olds in North Yorkshire were eligible on 1 October 2013. We also estimate that a total of some 2,200 two-year-olds in North Yorkshire will be eligible on 1 October 2014.

Classroom Assistants: East Midlands

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many teaching assistants there are in schools in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) the East Midlands.

David Laws: The following table provides the full-time equivalent number of teaching assistants(1) in service in publicly funded schools in Ashfield constituency(2), Nottinghamshire local authority(2), East Midlands region(2) and England(2) in November 2012.
	
		
			  Teaching assistants 
			 Ashfield 470 
			 Nottinghamshire 3,040 
			 East Midlands 17,200 
			 England 232,270 
			 (1) Includes higher level teaching assistants. (2) The national and local authority figures include an estimate for those schools that did not make a return. This has not been done at constituency level. Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Source: School Workforce Census

College of Social Work

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much central Government funding the College of Social Work has received to date by Department.

Edward Timpson: A total of £7.45 million has been provided to establish and fund The College of Social Work. The breakdown of this funding, provided by the Department of Health (DH) and the Department for Education (DfE), is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  DH (£000) DfE (£000) Total 
			 2009-10 2,500 0 2,500 
			 2011-12 0 2,500 2,500 
			 2012-13 450 800 1,250 
			 2013-14 600 600 1,200 
			 Total 3,550 3,900 7,450

Communication Skills: Education

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent steps he has taken to promote the teaching of speaking and listening skills in schools at Key Stage 4.

Elizabeth Truss: We have ensured that the development of spoken language is well covered in the new national curriculum: it has its own section in English; its importance in the development of cognition is emphasised in the introduction to each of the primary English, mathematics and science programmes of study; and there is a separate section on literacy, spoken language and vocabulary development in the main framework document to emphasise the importance of developing language in all subjects.
	Teaching and assessment of speaking and listening remains a compulsory part of all English and English Language GCSEs. Ofqual has said that speaking and listening will be reported separately on the GCSE certificate alongside the GCSE grade. We are currently considering responses to our recent consultation on the content of English Language GCSEs. We will be announcing the outcome of the consultation, including the place of spoken language assessment in the reformed GCSEs, in due course.
	The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), published draft key stage 4 programmes of study for English, mathematics and science earlier this year for information. We will consult on them formally once we have finalised the GCSE subject content in these subjects, to ensure that the curriculum and qualifications are fully coherent.

Curriculum

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what guidance his Department will give to schools on changes made to the teaching of the curriculum following the National Curriculum Reform; and when such guidance will be given;
	(2)  what extra money he will provide to schools to prepare them for the changes made to the teaching of the curriculum following the National Curriculum Reform; and when he will decide on the level of any such budgetary support.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government recognises that the high expectations set by the new national curriculum will present some challenges for schools. However, it is expected that schools will identify their own priorities for action, and will identify appropriate sources of support.
	To assist with this, existing opportunities funded by the Government in core subjects are being adapted to reflect the requirements of the new curriculum. For example, the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) has a range of support for schools on implementing the new curriculum, and Myscience, who run the Science Learning Centres, are also refocusing their support. The match funding scheme of £3,000 for phonics materials and training has been extended until the end of October 2013. We have made £2 million available to recruit 400 master teachers in computer science over the next two years. We also announced a further £2 million to support teaching schools to take forward the delivery of the new curriculum in their alliances; and in March we announced £150 million per year of ring-fenced funding for primary school sport.
	We are also working with subject experts, publishers, educational suppliers and others to identify what support for schools is already in place, identifying any gaps that need to be filled and how that might be achieved. This will also support providers in adapting their initial teacher training to take account of the new curriculum from 2013/14 onwards. In addition, we have given prominence to national curriculum subjects in our bursaries for teacher training commencing in September 2013.

Drinking Water

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department and its predecessors spent on bottled water in each of the last five years.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education and its predecessors have not spent any money on bottled water in the last five years.

Dyslexia

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department has issued to (a) schools and (b) education authorities on the (i) identification and assessment of and (ii) provision for children with dyslexia.

Edward Timpson: Guidance on identifying and supporting pupils with special educational needs (SEN), including those with dyslexia, is set out in the statutory SEN code of practice.
	The Department for Education will publish a new SEN code of practice for consultation this autumn. It will include guidance for identifying, assessing and supporting children and young people with SEN including those with dyslexia. Subject to the passage of the Children and Families Bill, the new code will be laid before Parliament in early 2014 with the aim of it being approved by spring 2014.
	The Department for Education funds the Dyslexia-SpLD Trust to support schools, professionals and local authorities to improve the support available to dyslexic pupils, drawing on the evidence of effective programmes. This includes a professional development framework to help teachers of all levels assess their skills and knowledge and access training and support materials. Information is available at:
	www.thedyslexia-spldtrust.org.uk

Education: Databases

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the proportion of records held on Edubase that are out-of-date or inaccurate.

David Laws: No estimate has been made of the proportion of records held on Edubase that are out-of-date or inaccurate.
	Edubase records are maintained by data owners located within their relevant policy areas. Information is also received from a number of sources including schools, local authorities, data collections and external partners.

Free Schools: East Sussex

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what expressions of interest his Department has received on opening a free school in (a) East Sussex, (b) Brighton and Hove and (c) Brighton, Kemptown constituency.

Edward Timpson: Since the launch of the free schools programme in June 2010, the Department for Education has received 14 applications to establish free schools in Brighton and Hove, six of which have indicated that their proposers hoped to open a school in the Brighton, Kempton constituency. Five applications to establish free schools in the East Sussex local authority area have been received in the same time frame.
	In the most recent round of applications, we received one application to establish a free school in Brighton and Hove.

GCSE: Disadvantaged

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average GCSE results are of (a) boys and (b) girls from low income families; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: The requested information can be found in Table 1 of the following Statistical First Release: “GCSE and equivalent attainment by pupil characteristics in England: 2011 to 2012(1)”. There is a drop down box in the top right hand corner of Table 1 which allows a filter on gender. Table 1 can be found under the section “National and local authority tables”.
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gcse-and-equivalent-attainment-by-pupil-characteristics-in-england

GCSE: English Language

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of Ofqual's decision to remove the Speaking and Listening Assessment from GCSE English and GCSE English Language; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: The assessment of speaking and listening has not been removed from GCSE English and English Language. Ofqual has said that speaking and listening will be reported separately on the GCSE certificate alongside the GCSE grade. Ofqual took the decision having found that current arrangements for speaking and listening do not produce fair outcomes for students.
	Ofqual is the independent regulator of qualifications, with a statutory responsibility to secure standards in qualifications. It must be able to do that free from political interference so the Department for Education has not made an assessment of Ofqual's decision.

GCSE: English Language

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will ask Ofqual to meet representatives of the speech, language and communication needs sector to discuss the decision to remove the Speaking and Listening Assessment from GCSE English and GCSE English Language.

Elizabeth Truss: The assessment of speaking and listening has not been removed from GCSE English and English Language. Students' speaking and listening skills will be reported separately on the GCSE certificate alongside the GCSE grade, giving a more detailed picture of students' achievements than under the previous arrangements.
	Representatives from Ofqual met representatives from the speech, language, and communication needs sector during its consultation on speaking and listening in GCSE English and English Language GCSE. Ofqual has been in touch with stakeholders since the announcement.

GCSE: English Language

Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of children studying GCSEs have met the English Baccalaureate performance measure in (a) Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency, (b) North Yorkshire and (c) England in 2013 to date.

Elizabeth Truss: The requested information on the proportion of children achieving the English Baccalaureate in 2013 is not available as official statistics have not yet been published.
	Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency figures will be available within the school performance tables which are scheduled to be published in January 2014. The requested information for North Yorkshire and England will be published in the Statistical First Release 'GCSE and equivalent results (provisional).and national curriculum teacher assessments at key stage 3 in England' which is scheduled to be published in October 2013.
	The specific release dates will be published on the Department's website later in the year(1).
	(1)Note:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education/about/statistics

James O'Shaughnessy

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Education on how many occasions Mr James O’Shaughnessy has been registered as a visitor to his Department’s main building since January 2012.

Elizabeth Truss: Mr James O’Shaughnessy is not recorded as having visited the Department’s main building, sanctuary buildings, within the last month.
	The Department does not hold records prior to this as visitor records are only retained for one month.

Legislative Reform (Regulation of Providers of Social Work Services) (England and Wales) Order 2013

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when his Department plans to proceed with the Legislative Reform Order (Regulation of Providers of Social Work Services).

Edward Timpson: Following the procedure set out in the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006, the Government can only take forward the legislative reform order, should it choose to do so, once the statutory scrutiny period ends on 12 October.
	If the Government should wish to withdraw the order, it can only do so once the House of Lords returns from recess.

Legislative Reform (Regulation of Providers of Social Work Services) (England and Wales) Order 2013

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when his Department plans to publish the responses to its consultation on the Draft Legislative Reform (Regulation of Providers of Social Work Services) (England and Wales) Order 2013.

Edward Timpson: It is not the Department's normal practice to publish individual responses to consultations. Aggregated responses to this consultation and the Government's planned next steps were published on 13 May this year.

Meetings

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will place in the Library a list of departmental meetings attended by each non-executive board member of his Department; and what the purpose of any such meetings attended in the last six months was.

Elizabeth Truss: Information in the form requested is not held centrally and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.

Press: Subscriptions

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which newspapers, periodicals and trade profession publications his private ministerial office subscribes to on a (a) daily, (b) weekly, (c) monthly and (d) quarterly basis.

Elizabeth Truss: I refer the hon. Member to the response of 11 June 2012, Official Report, column 383W.

Primary Education: Leeds

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the cost was of closing all primary schools closed in Leeds in 2003-04; what the annual cost of maintaining and securing the empty buildings is; and what additional cost is generated through a shortage of places in primary schools in Leeds.

David Laws: The Department collects information from all local authorities about the number of school places available each year, but does not hold or collect information on the cost of closing primary schools or the annual cost of maintaining empty school buildings. It is the responsibility of each local authority to balance the supply and demand for primary and secondary school places in their area and to ensure there are sufficient schools to meet local demand.
	The most recent data available from Leeds local authority relates to the position at May 2012 and shows that they were anticipating a shortfall of primary places in the present academic year and expected this to continue over the next few years. The Department continues to provide capital funding to ensure there are enough school places and monitors the situation with local authorities. We have allocated £84.6 million to support the provision of new school places in Leeds in this spending period (2011-12 to 2014-15), compared to £15.9 million in the previous four year period.

Procurement

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department makes of the (a) payment of minimum wage, (b) payment of living wage and (c) use of zero hours contracts when tendering for public procurement contracts.

Elizabeth Truss: UK public procurement policy is to award contracts on the basis of value for money. We expect, and it is a contract condition, that contractors comply with current legislation and pay the minimum wage.

Public Expenditure

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department has spent on (a) stationery and (b) printing costs in the last four years.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department's accounting category of ‘stationery’ also includes publications and IT consumables.
	
		
			 £ 
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Stationery, publications and IT consumables     
			 DFE (excluding executive agencies) (1)220,117 116,840 128,201 (2)269,976 
			 Executive agencies 0 0 11,791 86,799 
			      
			 Printing     
			 DFE (excluding executive agencies) 160,602 164,622 120,146 156,153 
			 Executive agencies 0 0 0 23,984 
			 (1) Includes £44,000 on publications in the Department's library. (2) Includes £32,000 on publications in the Financial Times and the Department's library.

Public Expenditure

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department has spent on (a) conferences and (b) newspapers in each of the last five years.

Elizabeth Truss: The amount that the Department has spent on conferences and newspapers in each of the last five years is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 £ 
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Conferences 978,338 1,524,568 588,406 22,486 1,667,110 
			 Newspapers 8,192 17,703 15,730 18,276 18,669 
		
	
	The figures for 2012-13 are not comparable with earlier years as they include spend by Executive Agencies whose roles were previously fulfilled by non-departmental public bodies, which were brought within the Department from April 2012.

Public Relations

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department and its associated public bodies spent on (a) external public relations consultants and (b) public affairs consultants, in each of the past three years; and for what purposes such consultants were engaged.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education has spent no money from central budgets on external public relations or public affairs consultants in the last three years. This compares to £1.88 million on public relations consultants in 2009-10.
	In support of the teacher recruitment campaign and other policy areas, the former Training and Development Agency/Teaching Agency spent the following on external public relations consultants:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2010-11 82,145 
			 2011-12 219,842 
			 2012-13 88,815 
		
	
	These fees were to cover time spent developing and delivering aspects of the agency's PR strategy, plans and tactics. Our records do not show any spend for public affairs consultants during this period.
	The expenditure above compares with the following for public relations consultants in earlier years:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2007-08 462,816 
			 2008-09 728,983 
			 2009-10 445,217 
		
	
	In 2010-11, the former National College for School Leadership (NCSL) spent £33,911 on fees for a PR agency to support its school business management campaigns. In the same year it spent £10,424 on an external consultancy working on the NCSL engagement strategy. Comparative figures are not available for work in earlier years.
	Central records are not held for the Department's arm's length bodies, and this information could not be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

Publications

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list (a) the title and subject, (b) the total cost to his Department and (c) the commissioned author or organisation of each external report commissioned by his Department in each year since 2010.

Elizabeth Truss: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Publishing

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department has spent in each of the last three years on hard copy printing of documents for external audiences.

Elizabeth Truss: In order to reduce costs the Department for Education now adopts a policy of publishing digitally by default, with information made available through our website instead of being printed. In each of the last three years, the Department for Education has spent the following (excluding VAT) on hard copy printing of documents for external audiences:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2012-13 16,484 
			 2011-12 209 
			 2010-11 102,630 
		
	
	This compares with spend under the former Administration of £1.07 million on hard copy printing in the first three months of 2010 alone.

Pupils: Absenteeism

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether, in taking its recent decision to restrict the rights of parents to obtain permission to take their children to visit historic cultural sites abroad during school terms, the Government took account of the higher costs of overseas travel during school holidays.

Elizabeth Truss: There is clear evidence that any absence from school can and does impact on child's attainment. That is why it is a Government priority that children of compulsory school age who are registered at school attend regularly and absence is reduced to unavoidable causes.
	There has never been a parental right to take children of compulsory school age out of school during term time. There has been a misconception by some parents and schools that the previous regulation governing term time leave gave parents an entitlement to take their children out of school for family holidays for up to two weeks every year.
	The Government changed the law, which came into effect on 1 September 2013, to remove any ambiguity. Parents are still able to apply for a leave of absence to take their children out of school during term time. The school can only grant such a request in exceptional circumstances. The school determines how many days a pupil can be away from school once leave is granted.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will rank the 50 state secondary schools in England with the (a) highest and (b) lowest entitlement to free school meals; and in each case what the type of school is.

David Laws: The requested information has been provided in the following table.
	
		
			 State-funded secondary schools: Lowest 50 and highest 50 schools ranked by free school meal eligibility—England, January 2013 
			 Region LA number LA name School number School name School type Admissions policy Number of pupils(3) Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals(3) 
			 50 lowest ranked:         
			 South East 825 Buckinghamshire 4505 Sir William Borlase's Grammar School Secondary converter Selective 656 0.0 
			 South East 886 Kent 5416 Cranbrook School Secondary converter Selective 445 x 
			 West Midlands 332 Dudley 5400 Old Swinford Hospital Maintained secondary Comprehensive 361 x 
			 West Midlands 894 Telford and Wrekin 5400 Adams' Grammar School Secondary converter Selective 520 x 
			 London 305 Bromley 5410 St Olave's and St Saviour's Grammar School Maintained secondary Selective 596 0.5 
			 South East 825 Buckinghamshire 4061 Dr Challoner's High School Secondary converter Selective 750 0.5 
			 South East 825 Buckinghamshire 4504 Dr Challoner's Grammar School Secondary converter Selective 909 0.6 
			 South East 825 Buckinghamshire 4500 Aylesbury Grammar School Secondary converter Selective 909 0.6 
			 London 305 Bromley 5405 Newstead Wood School Secondary converter Selective 675 0.6 
			 South West 916 Gloucestershire 5403 Pate's Grammar School Secondary converter Selective 623 0.6 
			 South East 886 Kent 5418 The Skinners' School Maintained secondary Selective 600 0.7 
			 East of England 881 Essex 5410 Chelmsford County High School for Girls Secondary converter Selective 600 0.7 
			 South West 865 Wiltshire 5413 Bishop Wordsworth's Grammar School Secondary converter Selective 600 0.7 
			 South East 870 Reading 5401 Reading School Secondary converter Selective 599 0.7 
		
	
	
		
			 West Midlands 937 Warwickshire 4601 King Edward VI School Secondary converter Selective 408 0.7 
			 North West 358 Trafford 5404 Altrincham Grammar School for Boys Secondary converter Selective 932 0.8 
			 South East 825 Buckinghamshire 5402 Beaconsfield High School Maintained secondary Selective 745 0.8 
			 East of England 881 Essex 5443 Colchester Royal Grammar School Secondary converter Selective 493 0.8 
			 North West 888 Lancashire 5403 Clitheroe Royal Grammar School Secondary converter Selective 599 0.8 
			 South East 870 Reading 5413 Kendrick School Secondary converter Selective 476 0.8 
			 East of England 881 Essex 5411 King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford Secondary converter Selective 559 0.9 
			 South East 871 Slough 4700 St Bernard's Catholic Grammar School Maintained secondary Selective 629 1.0 
			 South East 825 Buckinghamshire 4079 Chesham Grammar School Secondary converter Selective 837 1.0 
			 East of England 919 Hertfordshire 4614 St George's School Secondary converter Comprehensive 939 1.0 
			 South West 916 Gloucestershire 4002 High School for Girls Secondary converter Selective 606 1.0 
			 South West 865 Wiltshire 5412 South Wilts Grammar School for Girls Secondary converter Selective 639 1.1 
			 South East 825 Buckinghamshire 5404 The Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe Secondary converter Selective 977 1.1 
			 North West 355 Salford 4018 Beis Yaakov High School Secondary converter Comprehensive 257 1.2 
			 West Midlands 937 Warwickshire 4620 Lawrence Sheriff School Maintained secondary Selective 576 1.2 
			 West Midlands 861 Stoke-on-Trent 5901 St Joseph's College Secondary converter Selective 654 1.2 
			 London 302 Barnet 5401 Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet Secondary converter Selective 896 1.2 
			 South East 825 Buckinghamshire 4501 Royal Latin School Secondary converter Selective 880 1.3 
			 East of England 881 Essex 5454 Colchester County High School for Girls Secondary converter Selective 558 1.3 
			 West Midlands 937 Warwickshire 4002 Stratford Girls' Grammar School Secondary converter Selective 396 1.3 
			 East Midlands 925 Lincolnshire 5406 Caistor Grammar School Secondary converter Selective 474 1.3 
			 East Midlands 925 Lincolnshire 4501 Bourne Grammar School Secondary converter Selective 776 1.3 
			 North West 909 Cumbria 5401 Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Secondary converter Selective 608 1.3 
			 South East 886 Kent 4622 The Judd School Maintained secondary Selective 649 1.4 
			 South West 916 Gloucestershire 4001 Sir Thomas Rich's School Secondary converter Selective 572 1.4 
			 South East 850 Hampshire 4175 Thornden School Secondary converter Comprehensive 1,402 1.4 
			 West Midlands 894 Telford and Wrekin 4364 Newport Girls' High School Secondary converter Selective 280 1.4 
		
	
	
		
			 East of England 882 Southend-on-Sea 5401 Westcliff High School for Boys Academy Secondary converter Selective 766 1.4 
			 South East 886 Kent 5443 Tonbridge Grammar School Secondary converter Selective 762 1.4 
			 East of England 919 Hertfordshire 5427 Hockerill Anglo-European College Secondary converter Comprehensive 602 1.5 
			 London 303 Bexley 5403 Beths Grammar School Secondary converter Selective 800 1.5 
			 North West 358 Trafford 5407 Altrincham Grammar School for Girls Secondary converter Selective 925 1.5 
			 South East 886 Kent 4043 Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School Maintained secondary Selective 724 1.5 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 815 North Yorkshire 4215 Ripon Grammar School Maintained secondary Selective 588 1.5 
			 South West 836 Poole 4181 Broadstone Middle School Maintained secondary Not applicable 646 1.5 
			 South East 886 Kent 5406 Dartford Grammar School Secondary converter Selective 775 1.5 
			          
			 50 highest ranked:         
			 North West 352 Manchester 6912 The East Manchester Academy Secondary sponsored Comprehensive 547 53.0 
			 London 211 Tower Hamlets 4722 Sir John Cass Foundation and Redcoat Church of England Secondary School Maintained secondary Comprehensive 964 53.3 
			 London 210 Southwark 6906 Harris Academy at Peckham Secondary sponsored Comprehensive 757 53.6 
			 North West 890 Blackpool 4059 Unity College Blackpool Maintained secondary Comprehensive 754 53.7 
			 North West 341 Liverpool 6905 The Academy of St Francis of Assisi Secondary sponsored Comprehensive 820 53.8 
			 North West 353 Oldham 6906 The Oldham Academy North Secondary sponsored Comprehensive 767 53.8 
			 West Midlands 330 Birmingham 4008 Saltley School and Specialist Science College Maintained secondary Comprehensive 952 54.0 
			 West Midlands 330 Birmingham 4220 Aston Manor Academy Secondary converter Comprehensive 748 54.0 
			 London 211 Tower Hamlets 4150 Morpeth School Maintained secondary Comprehensive 1,170 54.0 
			 London 211 Tower Hamlets 4284 Bethnal Green Academy Secondary converter Comprehensive 743 54.1 
			 North West 340 Knowsley 4610 Christ The King Catholic and Church of England (VA) Centre for Learning Maintained secondary Comprehensive 428 54.2 
			 West Midlands 330 Birmingham 4241 Holyhead School Secondary converter Comprehensive 1,012 54.6 
			 London 213 Westminster 6906 Westminster Academy Secondary sponsored Comprehensive 853 54.7 
			 London 316 Newham 4034 Eastlea Community School Maintained secondary Comprehensive 919 55.1 
			 West Midlands 330 Birmingham 6909 North Birmingham Academy Secondary sponsored Comprehensive 800 55.3 
			 London 211 Tower Hamlets 4242 Mulberry School for Girls Maintained secondary Comprehensive 1,048 55.4 
		
	
	
		
			 London 211 Tower Hamlets 4000 Wapping High School Secondary free school Comprehensive 36 55.6 
			 London 211 Tower Hamlets 4507 Central Foundation Girls' School Maintained secondary Comprehensive 1,179 55.6 
			 London 210 Southwark 6907 Harris Academy Bermondsey Secondary sponsored Comprehensive 889 55.8 
			 London 206 Islington 4112 Holloway School Maintained secondary Comprehensive 775 56.4 
			 West Midlands 330 Birmingham 4801 Cardinal Wiseman Catholic Technology College Maintained secondary Comprehensive 591 57.0 
			 South West 801 Bristol, City of 6905 The City Academy Bristol Secondary sponsored Comprehensive 752 57.6 
			 London 211 Tower Hamlets 4297 Swanlea School Maintained secondary Comprehensive 1,015 57.6 
			 North East 391 Newcastle upon Tyne 4500 All Saints College Maintained secondary Comprehensive 436 57.8 
			 London 211 Tower Hamlets 4276 Stepney Green Mathematics and Computing College Maintained secondary Comprehensive 867 57.9 
			 North East 806 Middlesbrough 4122 Ormesby School Secondary converter Comprehensive 746 57.9 
			 West Midlands 330 Birmingham 6908 St Alban's Academy Secondary sponsored Comprehensive 441 58.0 
			 North East 806 Middlesbrough 4703 Oakfields Community College Maintained secondary Comprehensive 999 58.1 
			 London 206 Islington 6906 City of London Academy—Islington Secondary sponsored Comprehensive 595 58.5 
			 West Midlands 330 Birmingham 4244 The International School Maintained secondary Comprehensive 591 58.7 
			 West Midlands 330 Birmingham 5412 George Dixon Academy Secondary converter Comprehensive 825 59.0 
			 London 205 Hammersmith and Fulham 4314 Phoenix High School Maintained secondary Comprehensive 873 59.1 
			 London 211 Tower Hamlets 4505 George Green's School Maintained secondary Comprehensive 942 59.2 
			 West Midlands 330 Birmingham 4323 Park View School the Academy of Mathematics and Science Secondary converter Comprehensive 615 59.8 
			 London 208 Lambeth 4322 Platanos College Secondary converter Comprehensive 987 60.3 
			 North West 341 Liverpool 4425 Broadgreen International School, A Technology College Maintained secondary Comprehensive 1,071 60.3 
			 West Midlands 330 Birmingham 4063 Kings Heath Boys Mathematics and Computing College Maintained secondary Comprehensive 511 60.5 
			 North West 352 Manchester 6905 Manchester Academy Secondary sponsored Comprehensive 822 60.9 
			 London 309 Haringey 6905 Greig City Academy Secondary sponsored Comprehensive 930 61.2 
			 London 208 Lambeth 6906 Evelyn Grace Academy Secondary sponsored Comprehensive 808 61.6 
			 London 309 Haringey 4033 Gladesmore Community School Maintained secondary Comprehensive 1,248 61.8 
			 West Midlands 330 Birmingham 4002 Perry Beeches II the Free School Secondary free school Comprehensive 101 62.4 
			 North East 806 Middlesbrough 6905 Unity City Academy Secondary sponsored Comprehensive 699 62.8 
		
	
	
		
			 North East 391 Newcastle upon Tyne 6905 Excelsior Academy Secondary sponsored Comprehensive 995 63.3 
			 London 211 Tower Hamlets 4277 St Paul's Way Trust School Maintained secondary Comprehensive 874 63.4 
			 London 211 Tower Hamlets 4105 Langdon Park Community School Maintained secondary Comprehensive 870 63.9 
			 West Midlands 330 Birmingham 6905 Heartlands Academy Secondary sponsored Comprehensive 743 65.7 
			 North West 341 Liverpool 4000 University Academy Liverpool Secondary sponsored Comprehensive 529 70.9 
			 London 208 Lambeth 4321 Lilian Baylis Technology School Maintained secondary Comprehensive 627 72.9 
			 North West 352 Manchester 4000 Manchester Creative Learning Academy Secondary sponsored Comprehensive 17 88.2 
			 x = 1 or 2 pupils or a percentage based on 1 or 2 pupils. (1) Includes maintained secondary schools, secondary academies, city technology colleges, studio schools and university technical college's. Excludes Post-16 schools. (2 )Includes pupils who are sole or dual main registrations. Includes boarders. (3) Pupils who have full time attendance and are aged 15 or under, or pupils who have part time attendance and are aged between 5 and 15. Source: School Census

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will rank every state secondary school in London by level of entitlement to free school meals; and in each case what the type of school is.

David Laws: The information requested has been placed in the House Library.

Satellite Broadcasting

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what subscriptions his Department has for premium satellite television channels; and what the cost of each such subscription was in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education does not have any subscriptions to premium satellite television channels.

School Meals: East Midlands

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the proportion of children in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) the East Midlands who eat school-provided dinners instead of packed lunches.

Elizabeth Truss: The requested data are not collected at constituency level.
	Estimated figures for school meal take-up for Nottinghamshire and east midlands, drawn from the most recent available data (Seventh Annual Survey of take up of school lunches in England for 2011-12), are:
	Nottinghamshire
	Primary schools: 43.2%
	Secondary schools: 32.9%
	East midlands
	Primary schools: 40.6%
	Secondary schools: 34.9%
	The survey was completed on a voluntary basis and therefore these figures reflect a percentage of the completed returns and are indicative.

School Meals: Nutrition

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to ensure that children receive a healthy diet from school dinners.

Elizabeth Truss: On 12 July 2013, the Department published the school food plan(1), which is the outcome of the review of school food commissioned by the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) in July 2012. The plan recommended extending entitlement to free school meals, particularly for primary school children. The Deputy Prime Minister announced on 17 September 2013 that free school meals will be provided to all infant pupils in reception, year 1 and year 2 in maintained schools and academies from September 2014.
	The plan also contains 16 specific actions that will further increase the quality and take up of school meals; develop a whole-school food culture in every school; and excite children about good food and cooking so that they can lead healthy lives.
	To support the implementation of these actions, the Department for Education is investing £16.1 million over the next two years. This includes £11.8 million to help increase take-up of meals in schools where it is low, and £3.15 million to support the introduction of school breakfast clubs where they are most needed.
	We will also be testing and introducing revised food based standards (built on a nutritional framework) which will apply to maintained schools and all new academies and free schools.
	(1 )Available at: http://www.schoolfoodplan.com

Schools: Disadvantaged

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many times (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have visited the schools with the highest proportion of students in poverty since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

David Laws: Since 2010, a majority (65 of 125) of the schools the Secretary of State for Education, the right hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), has visited are in the top half of schools ordered by the proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals. This does not include political or constituency visits.
	It is not possible to say on how many occasions officials from the Department have visited schools in this group, as this information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Schools: Discipline

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent steps he has taken to better integrate children with challenging behaviour into schools.

Elizabeth Truss: We have strengthened teachers' disciplinary powers; simplified guidance so it is clearer to schools what they must and can do in relation to behaviour; and made schools more accountable for managing behaviour through the new Ofsted inspection regime.
	We are addressing the causes of challenging behaviour by: improving the quality of teaching; investing in the pupil premium; overhauling the special educational needs system; supporting schools to address children's weaknesses in literacy and numeracy; improving the quality of alternative provision; and trialling a new approach to school exclusion that encourages early intervention.

Schools: Playing Fields

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much revenue has accrued to the public purse through the sale of sports fields in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire, (c) the East Midlands and (d) England since May 2010.

David Laws: Details of school playing field sales are not held centrally. Schools and local authorities do not apply to sell playing fields, they seek consent to dispose. In July we published a list of Department for Education decisions on applications for consent to dispose of school playing field land since May 2010(1). This will be placed in the House Library.
	It is not the Government or the Department for Education that instigates the disposal of school playing fields. It is the schools themselves and their local authorities that propose to convert these fields to invest in school sport or education.
	This Government will only give local authorities and schools permission to dispose of school playing fields if the sports and curriculum needs of the school and its neighbouring schools can continue to be met. All proceeds of any sales must be put back into improving sports or educational facilities.
	(1 )Available at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/schoolscapital/landandproperty/a00226771/school-playing-field-land-decisions

Security

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many departmental identity cards or passes have been reported lost or stolen by staff in his Department since May 2010.

Elizabeth Truss: Since May 2010, 261 Department for Education passes were reported lost or stolen by staff.
	In all cases passes were cancelled and replacements were issued in line with departmental security procedures.
	For comparison, a previous PQ revealed that 597 passes were lost or stolen between 2004 and 2006.

Sick Leave

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education for how many days on average staff of his Department in each pay grade were absent from work as a result of ill health in each of the last 12 months.

Elizabeth Truss: Overall absence rates due to ill health have fallen from 6.0 average working days lost in 2010-11, to 5.5 in 2011-12, to 4.3 in 2012-13.
	Average working days lost for each pay grade in each of the last 12 months were:
	
		
			  Pay Grade 
			  EA EO HEO SEO G7 G6 SCS 
			 September 2012 10.3 6.9 5.4 4.5 3.0 2.0 2.5 
			 October 2012 10.3 6.8 5.4 4.4 3.2 2.1 2.4 
			 November 2012 10.4 6.9 5.3 4.1 2.9 2.2 2.5 
			 December 2012 9.8 7.2 4.9 3.8 2.8 2.3 2.2 
			 January 2013 9.3 7.1 4.8 3.8 2.8 2.2 2.0 
			 February 2013 9.2 7.0 4.7 3.6 2.8 2.4 1.8 
			 March 2013 9.6 6.7 4.9 3.6 2.7 2.5 1.6 
			 April 2013 9.6 6.5 5.0 3.4 2.8 2.6 1.4 
			 May 2013 10.1 6.6 5.1 3.8 3.0 2.6 1.1 
		
	
	
		
			 June 2013 10.4 7.1 5.4 3.8 3.1 2.5 0.9 
			 July 2013 10.1 7.1 5.7 4.2 2.9 1.8 1.0 
			 August 2013 10.9 7.0 5.6 4.2 2.9 2.3 1.0

Social Workers: Training

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many placements will be made available to social work students as part of the frontline project in the next 12 months.

Edward Timpson: Training for the Frontline project will begin in summer 2014. The Department estimates that there will be 100 students placed with local authorities from September 2014. Actual numbers will depend on the extent of local authority participation and their commitment to take on students.

Social Workers: Training

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how much funding will be provided to the Frontline project by his Department in the next 12 months;
	(2)  how much funding has been provided to the Frontline project by his Department to date.

Edward Timpson: Grant funding for the Frontline pilot is negotiated on a yearly basis.
	The maximum funding available in the 2013-14 financial year is £1,182,494, of which to the end of August £325,486.96 had been issued.

Standards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the reasons are for the time taken to publish his Department’s quarterly data summary for the second quarter of 2012-13 and the third quarter of 2012-13.

Elizabeth Truss: The quarter 2 and quarter 3 quarterly data summary (QDS) returns of all 17 Departments participating in the QDS process were delayed owing to the development of the Cabinet Office’s Government Interrogating Spending Tool (GIST). The GIST was developed in response to recommendations made in Dr Martin Read’s independent report entitled “Practical Steps to Improve Management Information in Government”. The GIST is an online tool that allows the public to access a breakdown of Government expenditure through the gov.uk website. It makes the process of accessing and analysing complex QDS and OSCAR data easier and quicker, and for these reasons was seen to justify a short delay in publishing QDS data. The GIST can be found at the following web address:
	http://www.gist.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/index.html

Teachers: Lancashire

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 6 September 2013, Official Report, column 550W, on teachers: Lancashire, when exact numbers of teachers and special educational needs support staff in Pendle constituency and Lancashire awarded scholarships by Round Three (2013-14) of the National Scholarship Fund will be finalised.

David Laws: The number of teachers and special educational needs support staff in Pendle constituency and Lancashire who have been awarded scholarships by Round Three (2013-14) of the National Scholarship Fund was announced on 1 October 2013. The numbers of successful applicants are as follows:
	
		
			  Pendle constituency Lancashire 
			 Special educational needs support staff 1 7 
			 Teachers 3 29

Teachers: Training

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to ensure that older teachers can retrain and rejoin the profession.

David Laws: The National College for Teaching and Leadership offers support to qualified teachers seeking to re-enter the profession through specialist advisers at the Department for Education's Teaching Line and through resources made available on its website.
	According to the latest available data, around 23,000 people re-entered teaching in the maintained sector in 2010/11 or entered it for the first time having initially pursued a different career.

Television

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many flat screen televisions have been purchased by his Department in the last 24 months; and what the cost to the public purse was of such purchases.

Elizabeth Truss: The National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) purchased three TVs costing £2,170 in August 2012; and one was purchased at 2 St Paul's Place at a cost of £312.

Transport: Schools

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the current status is of the Government's review of school transport; and what conclusions have been reached on the role of walking in home to school transport.

David Laws: We conducted the last review of school transport in 2011, with some supplementary research in 2012. We will be consulting on new home-to-school transport guidance this autumn and propose to incorporate the best practice identified in the earlier review when we publish the new guidance early in 2014. We intend to strengthen guidance on transport appeals arrangements to provide greater clarity for both parents and local authorities.
	We encourage walking to school for those children able to do so, because of the health and environmental benefits, but currently, there are no plans to review the statutory walking distances.

Travel

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department spent on travel for departmental officials in each of the last five years.

Elizabeth Truss: The amount that the Department has spent on travel(1) for departmental officials in the previous five years is detailed in the following table:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2008-09 4,452,107 
			 2009-10 4,420,523 
			 2010-11 1,841,289 
			 2011-12 3,296,284 
			 2012-13 5,070,711 
		
	
	Data for 2011-12 are not comparable to data for earlier years. Data for 2012-13 are not comparable to data for 2011-12 or for earlier years. This is because over this period the Department has brought a number of arm's length bodies (ALBs) within the Department as executive agencies, with part of their remit transferring to the Department. Taking these changes into account, spend on travel excluding executive agencies has fallen from £4.4 million in 2009-10 to £3.7 million in 2012-13.
	(1) The Department has taken travel expenditure as being all costs classed as staff travel in its financial systems.

Trillium

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department has spent on contracts with Trillium Group in each year since 2008.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department has no recorded spend with the Trillium Group.

Young People: Unemployment

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many school leavers are not in employment, education or training within 12 months of leaving school.

Matthew Hancock: Estimates based on data from the Labour Force Survey show that 30,000 young people who completed compulsory education in summer 2012 were not in education, employment or training (NEET) when the Quarter 2 survey took place during the period 1 April 2013 to 30 June 2013, which is the lowest number for this age group since consistent records began in 2000. This does not mean that these young people have been NEET since leaving school in 2012; many may have participated in education, employment or training at some point during that year.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Accountancy

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department has spent on accountants in each year since 2010.

Jo Swinson: BIS accounting systems do not identify spend on accountants separately within its staff costs. The information cannot be obtained without incurring disproportionate costs.

Air Travel

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many individual domestic air flights were undertaken within Great Britain by representatives of (a) his Department and (b) its associated public bodies in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what the cost to the public purse of each such flight was.

Jo Swinson: The number of domestic air flights within Great Britain taken by staff from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (including UKTI) during 2012-13 is 1062. The total cost of these flights was £185,860.
	Due to the remit of our responsibilities, BIS does have a requirement to travel between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland so there is a need for some domestic flights. However, domestic flights are seen as an exception and are actively discouraged where these involve flights of less than 250 miles or involve flights solely between English departure and destination airports.
	The details of domestic air flights taken by BIS associated bodies are not held centrally within the Department and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Apprentices

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate he has made of additional lifetime earnings of apprentices.

Matthew Hancock: The latest analysis published by the Department shows that those who achieve an intermediate apprenticeship earn on average between £48,000 and £74,000 more over their lifetime, in today's valuation, compared to similar individuals with Level 1 or other Level 2 qualifications. Those who achieve an advanced apprenticeship earn on average between £77,000 and £117,000 more over their lifetime, compared to similar individuals with Level 2 qualifications.
	The full report—“Returns to Intermediate and Low Level Vocational Qualifications”—is published at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/32354/11-1282-returns-intermediate-and-low-level-vocational-qualifications.pdf

Apprentices: Essex

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people started apprenticeships in (a) Essex and (b) Harlow in the last five years; and what proportion of those people go on to full-time employment.

Matthew Hancock: Information on the number of apprenticeship starts by geography is published in a supplementary table to a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR):
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/69EFC69B-C189-46C4-93C4-6B161D744073/0/March2013_Apprenticeship_Starts.xls
	Information on the future employment status of apprentices is not available from the Individualised Learner Record, the data source of apprenticeship statistics used in the SFR. We plan a more comprehensive link to employment and earnings data in future.
	The 2013 Apprenticeship Evaluation Survey shows that, of apprentices who finished in the last year 68% were employed full-time, 18% were employed part-time, 7% were unemployed, 3% were self employed and 3% were in full-time learning. Due to the sample size of the survey we can not provide local level figures.

Apprentices: Income

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate he has made of the additional lifetime earnings of apprentices.

Matthew Hancock: The latest analysis published by the Department shows that those who achieve an intermediate apprenticeship earn on average between £48,000 and £74,000 more over their lifetime, in today's valuation, compared to similar individuals with Level 1 or other Level 2 qualifications. Those who achieve an advanced apprenticeship earn on average between £77,000 and £117,000 more over their lifetime, compared to similar individuals with Level 2 qualifications.
	The full report—“Returns to Intermediate and Low Level Vocational Qualifications”—is published at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/32354/11-1282-returns-intermediate-and-low-level-vocational-qualifications.pdf

Buildings

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many square metres of office space his Department (a) owns and (b) rents in London; and what the value is of that property.

Jo Swinson: The Department does not own any properties in London. The Department rents 59,290 sq m of office space in London, of which approximately 27,992 sq m is let to other Government bodies. There is no property value recorded against office space rented in London.

Buildings

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the expenditure on office refurbishment by (a) his Department and (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies in each year since 2010-11.

Jo Swinson: The expenditure incurred on office refurbishment has enabled the Department to rationalise our office estate and has helped the Department achieve the Cabinet Office target of 10(m )per full-time equivalent (FTE) by 2015. For example the refurbishment of 1-19 Victoria street, London has already enabled the building to exceed this target in 2012-13. Refurbishment of surplus buildings has also allowed the Department to sublet space to other Government Departments, thus helping Government reduce the size of its property portfolio. In some instances refurbishment was required to ensure we were compliant with the terms of our lease agreements and to meet modern building regulations.
	Regarding the information requested on the Department's non-departmental public bodies this information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Buildings

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the number of office relocations made by staff of (a) his Department and (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies (i) within the original building and (ii) to other buildings in each year since 2009-10; what the cost of (A) removals and (B) refurbishments related to such moves has been; and on how many occasions offices refurbished by his Department in that period have been used by his Department's staff for less than four years before a further move.

Jo Swinson: This Department has made a number of office relocations since 2009-10 in order to rationalise its property estate and to comply with mandated Cabinet Office Property Controls. The Department has spent £14.03 million (inclusive of VAT) on relocating its staff, with the majority of this expenditure incurred on refurbishing its London HQ 1-19 Victoria street, in 2009/-10 and 2010-11. This allowed Kingsgate House, London to be returned to the Landlord saving £9.55 million per annum from operating costs. It is not possible to split out removal costs as these were captured as part of the refurbishment project, but they would form a very small percentage of the costs incurred.
	The Department has not refurbished any space which has been used for less than four years before a further move was instigated.
	Regarding the information requested on the Department's non- departmental public bodies this information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Business: Government Assistance

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what amount spent under the Growth Accelerator Fund has gone on (a) marketing the scheme, (b) administration costs, (c) paying consultants and (d) investment in business.

Michael Fallon: Of the total £51.5 million spend on the Growth Accelerator programme since launch in 2012 to end June 2013 costs were:
	Marketing the scheme—£2.5 million
	Administration costs—defined as premises, facilities, Human Resources and Information and Communication Technology costs—£1.5 million
	Paying consultants—defined as funding for coaching of participants, provided by a network of over 1,000 independent coaches—£16 million
	Investment in business—defined as the contribution from BIS towards leadership and management skills development, which is 50% match-funded by participants—£10 million.

Business: Government Assistance

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many jobs have been created under the Growth Accelerator scheme since its inception.

Michael Fallon: The Growth Accelerator annual report, published in July 2013, shows that of the 6,000 clients supported more than 3,100 are creating employment at a faster pace because of Growth Accelerator.
	Data on jobs created by clients who participated in the first year of the scheme will be reported in the interim evaluation of the scheme to be published by end March 2014.

Business: Government Assistance

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to support small businesses in (a) Brighton, Kemptown and Peacehaven and (b) the UK.

Michael Fallon: This Department has introduced a range of schemes to help small businesses across the country. This is in addition to local support provided by organisations such as county councils and local enterprise partnerships.
	Coast to Capital local enterprise partnership covers Brighton and working with local authorities and business plays a central role in determining local economic priorities and undertaking activities to drive economic growth and the creation of jobs.
	The Government has provided funding to local businesses and organisations through the Regional Growth Fund (RGF). To date, 2,700 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have benefited from over £100 million of support through the RGF. Through rounds one to four of the RGF, SMEs throughout England have access to hundreds of millions of pounds of further RGF support through a range of locally and nationally run programmes
	Through UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), the Government has stepped up its work to encourage significantly more UK businesses to export. In the last 12 months, the UKTI South East International Trade Team supported 59 small businesses from Brighton, Kemptown and Peacehaven to export overseas. A total of 102 services were delivered to these businesses comprising 11 supported through the Passport to Export Programme, four through the Gateway to Global Growth Programme, 34 received a significant assistance, 22 received the overseas market introductory service, five took part in the export market research scheme, three received an export communications review and 23 were assisted at UKTI events.
	Over the last year, UKTI has helped over 31,000 SMEs nationally to export and break into high growth markets, generating over £33 billion of additional sales. In doing so, UKTI has taken its campaign across the country in order to achieve its target to double its client base to 50,000 companies per year by 2015, which it is on target to achieve.
	The Government is also helping to support new entrepreneurs through the start up loan scheme which provides funding and mentoring to anyone over 18 looking to start a business. 68 loans totalling just over £400,000 were provided in Brighton and a little over 8,000 loans totalling just over £40 million has been made available nationally.
	For viable businesses that have been turned down for a normal commercial loan due to a lack of security or a proven track record, there is the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) loan guarantee scheme. 30 loans have been offered to businesses in my hon. Friend's constituency with approximately £2 million drawn by businesses. 22,518 loans have been offered nationally with almost £2 billion drawn by businesses.
	Finally, the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS), which is funded by this Department, provides manufacturing business support for companies in England helping them to improve and grow. MAS has assisted seven companies in Brighton and 12,116 companies nationally since its launch in 2012.

Christmas Cards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his private ministerial office spent on sending Christmas cards in 2012.

Jo Swinson: For Christmas 2012, electronic Christmas cards, designed by children of BIS staff, were sent via email to stakeholders at no cost to the Department.

Direct Mail: Fraud

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to protect vulnerable people from scam mail.

Jo Swinson: Government is very aware of the damage and severe distress that can be caused by mass marketing scams, particularly in relation to vulnerable consumers who can get drawn in to long-term fraudulent relationships which impact on their financial and physical health. Government advises consumers through its agencies to be very wary of any kind of unsolicited offer that sounds too good to be true.
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) works with local authorities, the Trading Standards Service, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), the Citizens Advice Service and Citizens Advice Scotland to put in place arrangements to give consumers confidence and help them know how to spot a scam. The National Trading standards Board and Trading Standards Scotland also have specific enforcement teams in place to target criminals who mislead and defraud consumers, including through scam mail. In addition, BIS has set up the Consumer Protection Partnership (CPP)—a group of key stakeholders—to co-ordinate a joint strategy for sharing information, and they have prioritised work to tackle mass marketing scams.
	Among other things, the CPP identifies opportunities for targeted consumer and business education campaigns which can be used to further reduce the detriment caused by mass marketing scams.
	Scams can be easily reported to ‘Action Fraud’ either online via the Action Fraud website:
	www.actionfraud.org.uk
	This service also provides help and advice over the phone via the Action Fraud contact centre. Consumers can also report concerns over any mailings promoting prize draws or competitions to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for investigation:
	www.asa.org.uk
	and scam mail can also be reported direct to Royal Mail by emailing or by reporting concerns by phone. This can be done by either the direct recipient or someone on behalf of a potential victim. More information about Royal Mail's helpline can be found on its website:
	http://www.royalmail.com/personal/help-and-support/what-can-I-do-about-scam-mail

Employment Agencies

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many visits to employment agencies the Employment Standards Authority Inspectorate has made in each of the last five years; how many breaches of the law were found through such visits; what estimate he has made of the number of people found to have been underpaid through such visits; and how many successful prosecutions his Department has made against employment agencies and businesses found not to be operating within the law as a result of such visits.

Jo Swinson: Information on the number of breaches and the number of successful prosecutions by the Employment Agency Standards inspectorate (EAS) is published in its annual report, which can be found on:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/employment-agency-standards-eas-inspectorate-annual-report-for-2011-to-2012
	EAS uses the most appropriate route to investigate complaints, which can include dealing with them by telephone or correspondence, as well as visits. Between 1 April 2008 and 31 March 2013 EAS helped recover more than £860,000 for work seekers and includes, for example, non-payment of wages, recovery of fees charged for work-finding services, and 'up-front' fees charged in the entertainment and modelling sectors. EAS does not keep a record of the number of people that have been underpaid.
	For completeness, I am setting out the information available in the EAS annual report in the following table for the years 2008/09 to 2012/13:
	
		
			  Total number of cases completed Total number of infringements Money recovered (£) Successful prosecutions 
			 2008/09 1,761 1,511 63,341.42 1 
			 2009/10 2,096 2,236 204, 729.27 2 
			 2010/11 1,344 2,065 295,010.36 1 
		
	
	
		
			 2011/12 1,191 2,146 128,523.06 0 
			 2012/13 1,145 1,479 169,183.56 7 
		
	
	Note:
	There were no unsuccessful prosecutions during this period.

Engineering: West Midlands

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the provision of basic engineering training in the West Midlands.

Michael Fallon: The Government fully recognises the importance of the supply of skilled engineers to the country's current and future economic performance. The Department's chief scientific adviser, Professor John Perkins is leading a review to identify practical measures to improve the supply of engineering skills.
	At local level, Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) have the lead role in setting strategies for skills within their overall Strategic Economic Plans, which they are developing as part of the Growth Deals process. Those plans will identify skills priorities of local businesses in making the most of growth opportunities.
	All West Midlands LEPs are now engaging in the provision of skills in response to local demands, with engineering being a high priority for most.

Exports

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to increase UK exports.

Michael Fallon: Through UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) the Government has stepped up its work to encourage significantly more UK businesses to export.
	UKTI is delivering an ambitious package of support designed to get more small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) exporting, to help UK companies access the highest value trade opportunities and to link high-potential firms to trade finance, credit insurance and venture capital.
	This means, among other things:
	Doubling the number of SMEs supported on UKTI's Passport to Export scheme;
	Doubling the number of companies supported at overseas exhibitions;
	Increasing the number of International Trade Advisors in the English regions; and
	Doubling the number of companies given financial support towards the cost of exhibiting at their first few overseas trade shows.
	Over the last year, UKTI has helped over 31,000 SMEs to export and break into new high growth markets, generating over £33 billion of additional sales. In doing so, UKTI has taken its campaign across the country in order to achieve its target to double its client base to 50,000 companies per year by 2015, which it is on target to achieve.

Exports

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much public expenditure he estimates supports exports (a) of military and security equipment and (b) from all other industrial sectors.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade & Investment's (UKTI) total net budget for 2013/14 is £203 million, this includes staff cost and capital, but excludes BIS overhead and FCO apportionment costs. Of the £203 million:
	£11 million has been allocated to Defence & Security Organisation (DSO). DSO is the group within UKTI responsible for helping the UK defence and security sectors succeed internationally, and
	£140 million has been allocated to support export to other industrial sectors.
	UKTI records spend at a programme and team level. To provide the figures on what was spent on export of military and security equipment and on other industrial sectors can be done only at disproportionate cost.

Exports: West Midlands

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many new jobs were generated in the West Midlands as a direct result of the work of UK Trade and Investment West Midlands in the last (a) 12 months and (b) two years.

Michael Fallon: UKTI has national figures. Quarterly results from April 2013 show that in 2012 UKTI helped to create 38,080 jobs and safeguard 83,780 jobs, making a total of 121,860 jobs. In 2011 UKTI helped to create 36,400 jobs and safeguard 68,500 jobs, making a total of 104,900 jobs.

Flexible Working: Grandparents

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to introduce flexible working hours for grandparents helping to care for their grandchildren.

Jo Swinson: Currently the right to request flexible working is only available to parents and carers, which excludes many grandparents, even those who are closely involved with caring for their grandchildren. This is why we intend to extend the right to request flexible working to all employees through the Children and Families Bill. Subject to Royal Assent we intend to roll out the extension from April 2014.

Foreign Investment in UK

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much inward foreign direct investment UK Trade and Investment and its private sector partners have secured in the year to date.

Michael Fallon: Results, published in June 2013, show that 1,559 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) projects landed in the UK in 2012/13, an increase of nearly 11% on 2011/12.
	Those projects resulted in an estimated 170,000 jobs being created or safeguarded. The number of new jobs increased by 12% over the previous year, to reach almost 60,000.

Foreign Investment in UK: Greater London

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the London UK Trade and Investment Office and its private sector partners maintains a list of the top ten inward investment opportunities in London.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) does not maintain a list of the top 10 investment opportunities in London.

Foreign Investment in UK: Greater London

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with which (a) foreign companies, (b) investors, (c) sovereign wealth funds and (d) other governments UK Trade and Investment London and its private sector partners are currently working to secure inward investment into London.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) and its partners work with a very wide range of foreign-based companies, investors, sovereign wealth funds and governments to attract inward investment into the UK. At any one time, UKTI and its partners may be engaged in discussions with several tens of thousands of organisations, a number of which will have regard to potential investment in London. These organisations undertake discussions with UKTI on the basis of commercial confidentiality.

Foreign Investment in UK: Greater London

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with which (a) foreign companies, (b) investors, (c) sovereign wealth funds and (d) other governments UK Trade and Investment worked to secure inward investment into London in (i) 2011 and (ii) 2012.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) and its partners work with a very wide range of foreign-based companies, investors, sovereign wealth funds and governments to attract inward investment into the UK, including London. Potential investors engage with UKTI on the basis of commercial confidentiality.

Foreign Investment in UK: Greater London

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how often the London UK Trade and Investment office has contacted hon. Members representing constituencies in London to help it secure inward investment into London this year.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is not aware of any cases of Members of Parliament representing London constituencies being contacted in order to help secure inward investment into London.

Foreign Investment in UK: Greater London

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many new overseas contracts were won by businesses in London as a direct result of the work of the London UK Trade and Investment office in the (a) last 12 months and (b) two years.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) has recently started to measure Trade Growth Value. This measure was designed to record cases where an enterprise has progressed in its pursuit of overseas business opportunities to the point of successfully winning contracts. During the financial year 2012-13, six London small and medium-sized enterprises completed Trade Growth Value (TGV) forms totalling £14.3 million. Between 1 April and 31 August 2013, 13 TGV forms have been received with a value of £75.2 million. The assistance provided to exporters by the UKTI team in London also involves help at earlier stages in this export development process.

Foreign Investment in UK: Northamptonshire

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of UK Trade and Investment in attracting inward investment to (a) Corby constituency and (b) East Northamptonshire.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) measures the effectiveness of its services to attract inward investment on a national basis. It reports at the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) level. The UKTI Annual Report, published on 24 July 2013, shows UKTI played an active role in attracting 1,322 projects in the UK in 2012-13 creating or safeguarding almost 100,000 jobs.
	The Northamptonshire LEP (including the Corby constituency, and East Northamptonshire) attracted six projects in 2012/13, creating 66 new and 3,215 safeguarded jobs.

Foreign Investment in UK: Shropshire

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many small and medium-sized enterprise exporters in Shropshire contributed to the Trade Growth Value metric through reporting receiving significant assistance from UK Trade and Investment in the last (a) 12 months and (b) two years.

Michael Fallon: UKTI did not start to record the Trade Growth Value (TGV) metric until April 2013. However, 128 companies in Shropshire reported that they had received Significant Assistance from UKTI West Midlands International Trade Advisers as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2011-12 63 
			 2012-13 72 
		
	
	This figure includes a small number of mid-sized businesses and has been de-duplicated as some companies reported Significant Assistance in both periods.
	Since UKTI West Midlands started recording Trade Growth Value figures in April 2013, three companies in Shropshire reported Significant Assistance, with a total TGV of £2.1 million.

Foreign Investment in UK: Shropshire

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much inward foreign direct investment UK Trade and Investment and its private sector partners attracted into Shropshire in the last (a) 12 months and (b) two years.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) does not hold this data at a regional level. However, at The Marches Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) level, which includes the unitary council areas of Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin, inward investment was:
	2012-13: Three projects, creating or safeguarding 154 jobs;
	2011-12: Three projects, creating or safeguarding 89 jobs.

Foreign Investment in UK: Shropshire

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the return on investment to the public purse from UK Trade and Investment's private-sector partners through the inward investment they attract into Shropshire in the latest period for which figures are available.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) calculates the return on investment of its trade and investment related activity on a financial year basis using a range of measures including jobs created and safeguarded. The contribution of private sector partners is subsumed within this activity.
	The latest Annual Report and Accounts shows that UKTI spent a total of £316.8 million in 2012-13 (of which £235.6 million were spent in trade support and £81.2 million on inward investment). For inward investment, UKTI, including its private sector partners, played an active role in attracting 1,322 projects in the UK in 2012-13, creating or safeguarding almost 100,000 jobs.
	For further detail on UKTI's measurement systems please see UKTI Trade & Investment Annual Report and Accounts 2012-13
	http://www.ukti.gov.uk/uktihome/item/534440.html
	The latest inward investment results were published in the Inward Investment Report 2012-13:
	http://www.ukti.gov.uk/uktihome/aboutukti/item/553980.html

Foreign Investment in UK: West Midlands

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the return on investment to the public purse from the West Midlands UK Trade and Investment office through inward investment and exports in the latest period for which figures are available.

Michael Fallon: UKTI calculates the return on investment of its Trade and Investment related activity on a financial year basis using a range of measures including jobs created and safeguarded and additional sales and profit generated by export services. Data at either the regional or service level are not available.
	The latest Annual Report and Accounts shows that UKTI spent a total of £316.8 million in 2012-13 (of which £235.6 million were spent in trade support and £81.2 million on inward investment). On the trade side, UKTI supported 29,230 companies, with reported additional sales of £49.6 billion, creating or safeguarding over 120,000 additional jobs. For inward investment, UKTI played an active role in attracting 1,322 projects in the UK creating or safeguarding almost 100,000 jobs.
	For further detail on UKTI's measurement systems please see UKTI Trade & Investment Annual Report and Accounts 2012-13
	http://www.ukti.gov.uk/uktihome/item/534440.html

Lip Reading: Leeds

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to increase the provision of lip reading teaching (a) nationally and (b) in Leeds.

Matthew Hancock: The Adult Skills Budget (ASB) is used to fund adult skills provision including lip-reading qualifications for eligible adults. Colleges and providers have the freedoms and flexibilities to use the ASB as best fits the needs of their local learners and businesses, including lip-reading qualifications where there is a local need for these.

Manufacturing Industries

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer of 30 November 2012, Official Report, column 526W, on manufacturing industries 
	(1)  and with reference to his Department’s announcements on the Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative of 6 November 2011 and 26 November 2012, how much of the £125 million announced has been (a) allocated and (b) spent in the latest accounting period available; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how much funding of each round of the Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative has been (a) allocated and (b) provided to the applicant business; how much allocated to each round has been spent; and how many jobs have been (i) created or (ii) safeguarded through allocations in each round.

Michael Fallon: 21 successful bids from rounds 1 and 2 of the Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative are projected to create or safeguard over 18,000 jobs, through over £237 million in joint public and private investment. AMSCI bids come from consortia of businesses in a supply chain, so in total, more than 180 organisations have benefited from AMSCI so far, including 108 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
	6 September 2013, AMSCI rounds 1 and 2 have committed public funds totalling £89.7 million from the £100 million available for national projects. AMSCI supports successful bids over a period of up to five years, with funding released in tranches throughout that time, in line with bidders’ needs. Projects from round 1 and 2 are in their early stages—so far, £3.6 million funding has been drawn down, 68 jobs have been created and 929 jobs safeguarded.
	Up to £25 million was also available in AMSCI rounds 1 and 2 for local projects based in the four participating local enterprise partnership (LEPs) areas—Black Country, Coventry and Warwickshire, Greater Birmingham and Solihull. The four LEPs led on encouraging bids to the scheme, and have recently launched a further bidding round called the West Midlands and Liverpool City Region Scheme to allocate the remaining £19 million.
	On 11 September 2013, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), announced the results of AMSCI round 3. Five successful bids secured a total of £116 million joint Government and industry investment, which is projected to create and safeguard 1,500 jobs in 30 different organisations including 13 SMEs.
	Round 4 of AMSCI is open for applications. The closing date is noon on 16 October 2013.

Manufacturing Industries

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to support the UK manufacturing industry.

Michael Fallon: Manufacturing is crucial to our recovery, export and future growth in productivity. The Government is working with manufacturers and their supply chains, and is taking steps to strengthen and grow modern manufacturing in the UK by encouraging innovation, business investment, technology commercialisation, skills and exports. There is a focus on advanced manufacturing in the Government's Industrial Strategy—11 sector strategies have already been published.
	In his last autumn statement, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), announced a number of measures which will benefit manufacturing. These include a significant temporary increase in the annual investment allowance, from £25,000 to £250,000 for two years from 1 January 2013; £120 million for two further rounds of the Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative; and increased funding of £140 million to help UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) deliver an ambitious package of support to get more companies exporting and attract more, high value investment into the UK.
	UK based manufacturers can also access financial support through the regional growth fund (RGF), which is a flexible and competitive £3.2 billion fund operating across England from 2011 to 2017. It supports projects and programmes that are using private sector investment to create economic growth and sustainable employment. Round 5 of the RGF will open on 11 October 2013.
	The Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) is the principal direct business support vehicle for small and medium-sized enterprise manufacturing and engineering companies. More than 11,000 firms have received specialist support from MAS with long-term strategy, securing efficiencies, developing new products and supply chain development since the national offer was introduced in January 2012. This assistance is set to safeguard 30,000 jobs with the potential to create over 11,000 new positions over the next year and generate economic growth in excess of £900 million.
	Innovation is one key area where the Government has a role in ensuring that UK manufacturing's future is a prosperous one. Seven “Catapult” innovation and technology centres have been launched, including one focused on high value manufacturing, and £600 million of support was announced in the last autumn statement to develop the “eight great technologies”.
	On skills, we are improving technical education at a young age by setting up a new generation of university technical colleges. 45 have now been announced. Apprenticeship starts in engineering and manufacturing technologies reached over 59,000 in 2011/12—up 22% on the previous year. The Employer Ownership programme allows employers to develop their own vocational training programmes, creating thousands of apprenticeship and training opportunities for young people. With respect to skills shortages in engineering, Professor John Perkins (BIS Chief Scientist) is leading discussions with industry and learned bodies to ensure we understand the scale of the challenge and take sufficient action so that manufacturers can secure the skilled engineers they need. His report will be published later this year.

Medicine: Education

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students (a) started and (b) graduated from medical degree courses in England in each year since 1997.

David Willetts: The Higher Education Funding Council for England's (HEFCE) Medical and Dental Students (MDS) Survey aims to measure the number of students beginning studies in these areas. The data helps HEFCE and the Department of Health assess the need to recruit more medical and dental students, and helps the Government plan the workforce in these professions. The data are also used as a basis for funding activity that supports medical and dental studies.
	Figures on the number of students starting and graduating from medical schools in England in each year since 1997/98 are shown in the table.
	
		
			 Medical school intakes and outputs in England by academic year and fee 
			 Academic year Home fee intake Other fee intake Home fee output Other fee output 
			 1997-98 3,465 284 3,050 211 
			 1998-99 3,431 304 2,887 210 
			 1999-2000 3,701 271 3,125 248 
			 2000-01 3,988 312 3,042 244 
			 2001-02 4,366 347 3,017 263 
			 2002-03 4,886 391 3.225 297 
			 2003-04 5,597 433 3,495 239 
			 2004-05 5,863 431 3,652 283 
			 2005-06 5,884 430 4,068 308 
			 2006-07 5,967 434 4,529 365 
			 2007-08 5,774 490 5,196 373 
			 2008-09 5,961 516 5,249 435 
			 2009-10 5,907 530 5,318 439 
			 2010-11 5,927 491 5,354 452 
			 2011-12 5,856 537 5,348 464 
			 2012-13(1) 5,751 511 n/a n/a 
			 (1) 2012-13 intakes are as at 9 October 2012 collected in the 2012 survey; confirmed intakes will be collected in the 2013 survey closing on 18 October 2013. From 2012-2013 academic year outputs can be sourced from the Higher Education Statistics Agency Student record. Source: Medical and Dental Students Survey, HEFCE, 1998-2012 
		
	
	More information on the Medical and Dental Students Survey can be found at the following link:
	http://www.hefce.ac.uk/whatwedo/crosscutting/healthcare/mds/

Medicine: Education

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many students have undertaken a six year programme consisting of a foundation year followed by a five year programme of medical studies leading to a degree in medicine in each of the last 20 years; how many such students completed their course; and how many students at each medical school started such a course in the latest year for which figures are available;
	(2)  what the drop-out rate of students commencing a (a) five year and (b) six year course leading to a degree in medicine is; and what the drop-out rate in such courses was in each medical school in the latest year for which figures are available.

David Willetts: The information requested could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
	The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on students at UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Information on enrolments and continuation rates for specific subsets of students can be requested via their bespoke query service. Contact information is available at the following link:
	http://www.hesa.ac.uk/content/view/2/52/

Medicine: Education

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the average cost is of (a) a five year and (b) a six year course leading to a medical degree.

David Willetts: It is not possible to calculate the separate average cost of five year and six year courses leading to a medical degree.
	However, the personal social services research unit at the university of Kent estimates that the average cost of training an undergraduate medical student in 2012 was £269,526. This figure reflects the total cost of training and therefore includes costs funded through the public purse and by the student.
	This figure includes the costs of tuition; infrastructure costs (such as libraries); costs or benefits from clinical placement activities, and lost production costs during the period of training where staff are away from their posts, as follows:
	£57,433 for tuition;
	£60,301 for living expenses/lost production costs and
	£151,792 for clinical placements.

Medicine: Education

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students entered medical school without any (a) A-level grades and (b) A grades in comparable qualifications in the latest year for which figures are available.

David Willetts: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on students at UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Information on the prior qualifications of young entrants to medicine, dentistry and veterinary science subjects is included in table SP2 of their publication “Performance Indicators in Higher Education in the UK”. The latest statistics refer to entrants in the academic year 2011/12 and are available at the following link:
	http://www.hesa.ac.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2060&ltemid=141
	Further information on the performance indicators, including more detailed breakdowns of the statistics, can be requested from HESA's bespoke query service. Contact information is available at the following link:
	http://www.hesa.ac.uk/content/view/2/52/

Ministers' Private Offices

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many full-time equivalent staff of each Civil Service grade are currently employed in the private office of each Minister in his Department; and what the pay band of each such member of staff is.

Jo Swinson: Staffing for Ministers' Offices where BIS is responsible for their pay, is shown in the table:
	
		
			 Office SCS G7 FS/HEO EO AO 
			 SoS 1  3 4 0 
			 David Willetts 0  3 4 0 
			 Michael Fallon(1) 0  2 6 0 
			 Jo Swinson(2) 0  1 4 2 
			 Matthew Hancock(3) 0  1 2 1 
			 Lord Green(4) 0  2 1.5 0 
			 Viscount Younger 0 0 2 1.5 0 
			 (1) Shared Minister with DECC (2) Shared Minster with DCMS (3) shared Minister with DFE (4) Shared Minister with FCO 
		
	
	Details of pay grades are published on the Gov.uk website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-business-innovation-skills/series/bis-organogram-and-staff-pay-data

Overseas Trade: Taiwan

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the value of trade between the UK and Taiwan has been in each year since 2010.

Michael Fallon: Estimates of the value of UK trade in goods and services with Taiwan since 2010 are shown in the following table, sourced from the latest ONS Pink Book publication, released on 31 July 2013.
	
		
			 UK Trade in Goods and Services with Taiwan, £ billion (current prices) 
			  2010 2011 2012 
			 Exports 2.3 2.3 2.1 
			 Imports 3.4 3.8 4.3 
			 Total trade 5.7 6.1 6.4 
			 Source: ONS Pink Book 2013

Overseas Trade: Western Sahara

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2013, Official Report, column 584W, on Overseas Trade: Morocco, what the value of the UK's (a) exports to and (b) imports from Western Sahara has been since 1 January 2013.

Michael Fallon: Estimates of the value of the UK's trade in goods with Western Sahara since 1 January 2013 are shown in the following table, taken from HMRC's Overseas Trade Statistics database:
	https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/BuildYourOwnTables/Pages/Table.aspx
	Data on UK trade in services with Western Sahara during this period are not available.
	
		
			 UK trade in goods with Western Sahara since 1 January 2013 
			  January to July 2013 £ (current prices) 
			  
			 Exports 1,575 
			 Imports 0 
			 Source: HMRC Overseas Trade Statistics database

Post Offices

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will give consideration to closing the London headquarters of the Post Office and relocating it to an area that has a lower land value.

Jo Swinson: The premises occupied by Post Office Ltd's London headquarters are leased. Any consideration of relocation would be a commercial and operational matter for the company.

Post Offices

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of savings to the public purse through the Crown Post Office closure and relocation programme.

Jo Swinson: Post Office Ltd's Crown Network Transformation programme, which includes the merger of six Crown offices into neighbouring Crown branches and proposals for franchising 70 branches including Rhyl, will contribute substantially to the elimination by 2015 of the Crown network losses—£37 million in 2012-13.

Post Offices

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much was paid in bonuses to senior management in Post Office Ltd in each of the last 10 years.

Jo Swinson: Bonus payments to staff and management are a commercial and operational matter for Post Office Ltd. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the chief executive, to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Post Offices

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of the Post Office's (a) financial and (b) other services were processed through (i) Crown post offices and (ii) sub-post offices in each of the last five years.

Jo Swinson: Post Office Ltd is responsible for commercial and operational matters concerning the Post Office network, which includes the information requested. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the chief executive, to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Post Offices

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the value of (a) the London headquarters of the Post Office and (b) the Post Office estate as a whole.

Jo Swinson: None. Post Office Ltd is responsible for commercial and operational matters concerning the Post Office network, which includes the information requested. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the chief executive, to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Post Offices

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many and what proportion of agency post office closures have been halted following public consultation in the last three years.

Jo Swinson: Post Office Ltd is responsible for commercial and operational matters concerning the Post Office network, which includes the information requested. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the chief executive, to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
	This Government has made a commitment that there will be no closure programme, planned or otherwise, and is investing to create a sustainable network of at least 11,500 branches which is also compliant with the Government-set access criteria. The Post Office network has experienced a high level of stability since 2010, halting over two decades of closures and decline. The size of the network is at its most stable for over 20 years.

Post Offices

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many Crown post office closures have been halted following public consultation;
	(2)  how many post office managers were employed in each of the last 10 years;
	(3)  how many Crown Post Office closures have been halted after public consultation in each of the last 5 years;
	(4)  what the projected saving is from the closure of Crown post office buildings in Rhyl;
	(5)  what discussions he has had with local authorities on reducing rates and rents for the 70 Crown Post Offices proposed for relocation.

Jo Swinson: Post Office Ltd is responsible for commercial and operational matters concerning the Post Office network, which includes the information requested. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the Chief Executive, to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Post Offices

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what measures are in place to deal with a situation when a Crown post office moves to the premises of a retail business which subsequently closes down.

Jo Swinson: In the event of a post office operator resigning or closing down, Post Office Ltd will seek an alternative retail partner to provide post office services in that community. Government-set access criteria are in place to maintain network coverage and to ensure reasonable access to post office services.

Post Offices

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether any Crown post offices will be relocated to retail premises which do not have disabled access.

Jo Swinson: No. Disabled access will be a key criterion for Post Office Ltd in formulating any franchise proposal.

Post Offices: Pensions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he has taken to protect the pensions and other rights of employees who work in Crown post offices.

Jo Swinson: Under the Postal Services Act 2011, Government assumed responsibility for the historic deficit in the Royal Mail pension plan. The Act set out protections for the benefits accrued by members, including Crown post office staff, up to 1 April 2012. Ongoing provision of pensions after that date is a matter for the company.

Public Relations

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department and its associated public bodies spent on (a) external public relations consultants and (b) public affairs consultants, in each of the past three years; and for what purposes such consultants were engaged.

Jo Swinson: Spend on external public relations and public affairs consultants is not accounted for separately in the Department's advertising and marketing spend and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Publications

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will list (a) the title and subject, (b) the total cost to his Department and (c) the commissioned author or organisation of each external report commissioned by his Department in each year since 2010.

Jo Swinson: This information is not collected centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Our default position is to publish reports online only unless there is a requirement for hard copies to be printed.

Publishing

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department has spent in each of the last three years on hard copy printing of documents for external audiences.

Jo Swinson: This specific information is not held centrally in the Department and to determine this would be at disproportionate cost.

Regional Growth Fund: Ashfield

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many projects in Ashfield constituency have been (a) selected to receive funding and (b) received final offer letters from the Regional Growth Fund in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many applications were received from businesses in Ashfield constituency for funding from the Regional Growth Fund in the latest period for which figures are available.

Michael Fallon: Regional Growth Fund (RGF) applicants are not required to report the parliamentary constituency within which the majority of their activity will take place. Once a bid has been selected and further details made available, we are able to confirm where the primarily impact will be at the parliamentary constituency level.
	One project in the Ashfield constituency has been selected to receive funding from the RGF. This Round 4 award was made conditionally on 11 July 2013 and the company is now agreeing terms with us.
	In addition, two final awards from previous rounds were made to RGF programmes to which small and medium-sized enterprises in the Ashfield constituency may bid.

Research: EU Grants and Loans

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the likely benefits to the UK of the Horizon 2020 programme.

David Willetts: The Horizon 2020 programme reflects key UK objectives, which were established after extensive consultation with stakeholders in academia and business as well as independent evaluations of previous programmes. Key features include: a focus on supporting world-leading research and innovation, notably via the European Research Council; mobility of researchers through training schemes; funding along the innovation spectrum to help address major societal challenges; public-private partnerships in key sectors; and dedicated support to small and medium-sized enterprises. In addition, all participants should benefit from simplified administrative arrangements. The Government believes that the UK is well placed to play a leading role in Horizon 2020 and we will monitor implementation carefully.

Rover Group

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make a statement on the Financial Reporting Council Final Report of Disciplinary Hearing: MG Rover Group, Deloitte and Touche and Mr Maghsoud Einollahi.

Jo Swinson: Deloitte has appealed and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.

Royal Mail

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when the prospectus for privatisation of Royal Mail will be drawn up and made available to the (a) public and (b) Royal Mail workforce.

Michael Fallon: The prospectus was published by Royal Mail on 27 September and is publicly available via the Royal Mail Group's website:
	www.royalmailgroup.com
	or via:
	www.gov.uk/royalmailshares
	The initial public offering gives financial institutions and members of the public (either through direct application to Government or through intermediaries) the opportunity to buy shares. Institutional offer bookbuilding and the retail offer commenced on 27 September; and both close on 8 October.

Satellite Broadcasting

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what subscriptions his Department has for premium satellite television channels; and what the cost of each such subscription was in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Jo Swinson: The Department has no subscriptions for premium satellite television channels.

Security

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many departmental identity cards or passes have been reported lost or stolen by staff in his Department since May 2010.

Jo Swinson: There have been 205 passes reported lost or stolen from January 2011 to August 2013. We do not hold information prior to January 2011.

Standards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the reasons are for the time taken to publish his Department's Quarterly Data Summary for the second quarter of 2012-13 and the third quarter of 2012-13.

Jo Swinson: The quarter 2 and quarter 3 Quarterly Data Summary (QDS) returns of all 17 Departments participating in the QDS process were delayed owing to the development of the Cabinet Office's Government Interrogating Spending Tool (GIST). The GIST was developed in response to recommendations made in Dr Martin Read's independent report entitled ‘Practical Steps to Improve Management Information in Government’. The GIST is an online tool that allows the public to access a breakdown of Government expenditure through the Gov.UK website. It makes the process of accessing and analysing complex QDS and OSCAR data easier and quicker, and for these reasons was seen to justify a short delay in publishing QDS data.
	BIS compiled and submitted its QDS reports for Q2 and Q3 2012-13 to Cabinet Office within the required timeframe.

Television

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many flat screen televisions have been purchased by his Department in the last 24 months; and what the cost to the public purse was of such purchases.

Jo Swinson: The Department has purchased 14 flat screen televisions in the last 24 months. The cost of the televisions was £19,489 inclusive of VAT.
	Nine of the TV sets are for the 1 Victoria Conference Centre, a very public facing area. These sets were to a high specification to form a montage and promote UK plc to various trade delegations and stakeholders.

Trade Missions

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many trade missions to which countries his Department has conducted in each year since 2010.

Michael Fallon: The information sought by my hon. Friend will be placed in the Libraries of the House. Every effort has been made to ensure completeness, but it is possible there may be omissions or inaccuracies.

Travel

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much was spent on travel for his Department's officials in each of the last five years.

Jo Swinson: Since 2009/10 the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has spent the following amounts on travel through the departmental travel framework contract.
	
		
			 £ 
			 Year Air Rail Hotels Total 
			 2009/10 2,923,903.13 2,086,527.92 952,102.42 5,962,533.47 
			 2010/11 1,798,324.24 1,481,173.58 833,077.92 4,112,575.74 
			 2011/12 2,209,133.05 1,929,113.87 905,016.94 5,043,263.86 
			 2012/13 2,537,411.43 2,299,869.39 1,036,874.02 5,874,154.84 
		
	
	A new set of principles on staff travel were recently introduced within BIS to help staff make the correct choices when undertaking travel, including whether there is a business need to do so.
	All staff within BIS are expected to travel at standard class and to travel only when it is both necessary and appropriate.
	Exceptions to this are only permitted where there is a clear and approved business need or where individual health issues demand an exception to be applied. All travel is to be booked using the central Government travel management service framework contract (CG TMS). This will ensure that best value is achieved and additionally that sufficient travel management information is obtained in order to effectively manage and monitor staff travel throughout the Department.
	It is anticipated that these new principles will reduce the volume and cost of travel within BIS.
	BIS does not hold travel data centrally for periods prior to 2009/10 and could provide these details only at disproportionate cost.

Trillium

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department has spent on contracts with Trillium Group in each year since 2008.

Jo Swinson: The Department has not paid any amounts during the period 2008 to date to Trillium Group.

UK Trade and Investment

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure that the work of regional UK Trade and Investment offices is accurately measured and monitored.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) uses its Performance and Impact Monitoring Surveys (PIMS) to measure the performance and impact of its support. The PIMS evidence is periodically complemented by independent impact evaluations, for the most recent example see
	http://www.ukti.gov.uk/download/123593_174060/UKTI%20Response%20to%20Evaluation%20of%20the% 20impact%20and%20cost%20effective.html
	PIMS covers all significant customer-facing trade services and provides evidence about service quality and what differences UKTI makes to businesses. It uses a range of measures, including information on the overall performance of UKTI against its performance measures. These results are provided at a regional level on a quarterly basis, more information can be found on the UKTI website:
	http://www.ukti.gov.uk/uktihome/aboutukti/ourperformance/performanceimpactandmonitoringsurvey/quarterlysurveys.html
	The robustness of UKTI's monitoring system was recognised by the National Audit Office in the conclusions of their 2009 value for money study of UKTI trade services, the full report can be found here:
	http://www.nao.org.uk/press-releases/uk-trade-investment-trade-support-2/

UK Trade and Investment

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure that the effectiveness of, and results achieved by, UK Trade and Investment offices are accurately measured and monitored.

Michael Fallon: The effectiveness of UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is robustly assessed routinely. UKTl uses an independent monitoring survey (the Performance and Impact Monitoring Survey, PIMS) to measure the performance and impact of its support. Full results of these surveys, and detailed discussions of the methodology, including the questions used to derive the measures, are published on the UKTI website at:
	http://www.ukti.gov.uk/uktihome/aboutukti/ourperformance/performanceimpactandmonitoringsurvey.html
	In addition to the programme of monitoring surveys, UKTI also commissions an annual programme of independent evaluations of the economic impact and rationale for specific services. More information on these can be found on the UKTI website:
	http://www.ukti.gov.uk/uktihome/aboutukti/ourperformance/evaluation.html

UK Trade and Investment

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the depth and range of data collected on regional UK Trade and Investment offices.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) collect company information through its Customer Data Management System (CDMS). CDMS provides staff with a history of transactions, allowing teams to share relevant customer information across the organisation. The data collected through CDMS underpins UKTI's Performance and Impact Monitoring Survey (PIMS) which is a client interview-based survey providing evidence about the impact and effectiveness of UKTI support.
	Management information derived from PIMS is provided at the regional level, the latest results can be found on the UKTI website:
	http://www.ukti.gov.uk/uktihome/aboutukti/ourperformance/performanceimpactandmonitoringsurvey/quarterlysurveys.html
	In 2009, the National Audit Office (NAO) value for money review of UKTI concluded that UKTI had a robust system for assessing delivery. The copy of the NAO report is available at:
	http://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/0809297.pdf

UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff were employed by the UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation on 1 April 2013.

Michael Fallon: UKTI is not an employer in its own right. For the majority of its human resource requirements it draws on civil service staff employed by one of its two parent Departments, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). UKTI Defence & Security Organisation also draws on civil service staff and serving military members of UK armed forces on loan from the Ministry of Defence.
	At 1 April 2013 the UK Trade & Investment Defence & Security Organisation had 128 staff in post.

UK Trade and Investment: Berkshire

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much inward foreign direct investment UK Trade and Industry South East and its private sector partners attracted into Berkshire in the last (a) 12 months and (b) two years.

Michael Fallon: The value of foreign direct investment UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) and its private sector partners attracted for Berkshire county is not available. At the Thames Valley Berkshire (LEP) level, which includes the unitary council areas of Bracknell Forest, Reading, Slough, West Berkshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, and Wokingham inward investment in project terms was as follows:
	2012-13: 56 projects, creating new (or safeguarding) 2,782 jobs;
	2011-12: 48 projects, creating new (or safeguarding) 1,199 jobs.

UK Trade and Investment: Berkshire

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many small and medium-sized enterprises in Berkshire have started exporting for the first time as a direct result of the work of UK Trade and Industry South East in the last (a) 12 months and (b)  two years.

Michael Fallon: In the last 12 months (from September 2012 to August 2013), the UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) South East International Trade Team supported 175 enterprises from Berkshire to export overseas. 30 of these were supported through the Passport to Export programme, 21 through the Gateway to Global Growth programme and 124 through other significant one-to-one assistance by the South East International Trade Advisers.
	In the 12 months prior (from September 2011 to August 2012), the UKTI South East International Trade Team supported 114 enterprises from Berkshire to export overseas. 17 of these were supported through the Passport to Export programme, 18 through the Gateway to Global Growth programme and 79 through other significant one to one assistance by the South East International Trade Advisers.
	We do not capture data on companies who export for the first time, but to be eligible for the Passport to Export programme a company must not have had exports that are greater than 25% of turnover, or proactive exports that are greater than 10%. They must also meet the EU definition of a small and medium-sized enterprise which is less than 250 employees. Companies are accepted onto the programme after a thorough assessment by an International Trade Adviser to ensure they meet the criteria and are likely to benefit from the programme.

UK Trade and Investment: Berkshire

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many small and medium-sized enterprises in Berkshire have started exporting to a new market for the first time as a direct result of the work of UK Trade and Industry South East in the last (a) 12 months and (b) two years.

Michael Fallon: In the last 12 months (from September 2012 to August 2013), the UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) South East International Trade Team supported 175 enterprises from Berkshire to export overseas. 30 of these were supported through the Passport to Export programme, 21 through the Gateway to Global Growth programme and 124 through other significant one-to-one assistance by the South East International Trade Advisers.
	In the 12 months prior (from September 2011 to August 2012), the UKTI South East International Trade Team supported 114 enterprises from Berkshire to export overseas. 17 of these were supported through the Passport to Export programme, 18 through the Gateway to Global Growth programme and 79 through other significant one-to-one assistance by the South East International Trade Advisers. We do not capture data on new export markets.

UK Trade and Investment: Greater London

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many small and medium-sized enterprises in London have started exporting to a new market for the first time as a direct result of the work of the London UK Trade and Investment office in the last (a) 12 months and (b) two years.

Michael Fallon: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) Last 12 months:
	In 2012-13 the UK Trade & Investment London International Trade Team supported 1,101 enterprises export overseas. 156 were supported through the Passport to Export programme, 206 through the Gateway to Global Growth programme and 739 through other significant one-to-one assistance by the London International Trade Advisers. We do not capture data on new export markets.
	(b) Last two years:
	2012 enterprises
	This is based on above figures for 2012-13 and in 2011-12 the UK Trade & Investment London International Trade Team supported 911 enterprises export overseas. 161 were supported through the Passport to Export programme, 156 through the Gateway to Global Growth programme and 594 through other significant one to one assistance by the London International Trade Advisers.

UK Trade and Investment: Greater London

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many small and medium-sized enterprises in London have started exporting for the first time as a direct result of the work of the London UK Trade and Investment office in the last (a) 12 months and (b) two years.

Michael Fallon: In 2012/13 the UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) London International Trade Team supported 1101 enterprises export overseas. 156 were supported through the Passport to Export programme, 206 through the Gateway to Global Growth programme and 739 through other significant one to one assistance by the London International Trade Advisers.
	In 2011/12 the UK London International Trade Team supported 911 enterprises export overseas. 161 were supported through the Passport to Export programme, 156 through the Gateway to Global Growth programme and 594 through other significant one-to-one assistance by the London International Trade Advisers.
	We do not capture data on companies who export for the first time, but to be eligible for the Passport to Export programme a company must not have had exports that are greater than 25% of turnover, or proactive exports that are greater than 10%. They must also meet the EU definition of a small and medium sized enterprise which is less than 250 employees. Companies are accepted onto the programme after a thorough assessment by an International Trade Adviser to ensure they meet the criteria and are likely to benefit from the programme.

UK Trade and Investment: Greater London

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much additional export volume has been generated for businesses in London as a direct result of the work of the London UK Trade and Investment office in the last (a) 12 months and (b) two years.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade & Investment's (UKTI) Performance and Impact Monitoring Survey measures the value of additional sales resulting directly from its export services, as reported by the UK businesses using the services. Value figures at regional level are not available.
	For UKTI trade services as a whole, the total additional sales reported in the most recent UKTI Annual report for a 12 month period was £49.6 billion.

UK Trade and Investment: Herefordshire

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much inward foreign direct investment UK Trade and Investment and its private sector partners attracted into North Herefordshire in the last (a) 12 months and (b) two years.

Michael Fallon: The value of foreign direct investment UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) and its private sector partners attracted for Herefordshire county or North Herefordshire district is not available. At the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) level, which includes the unitary council areas into Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin, inward investment in project terms was:
	2012-13: Three projects, creating new (or safeguarding) 154 jobs;
	2011-12: Three projects, creating new (or safeguarding) 89 jobs.

UK Trade and Investment: Herefordshire

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many small and medium-sized enterprises in North Herefordshire started exporting for the first time as a direct result of the work of UK Trade and Investment in the last (a) 12 months and (b) two years;
	(2)  how many small and medium-sized enterprises in North Herefordshire started exporting to a new market for the first time as a direct result of the work of UK Trade and Investment in the last (a) 12 months and (b) two years.

Michael Fallon: We are encouraging companies to look at new markets as well as developing their existing export markets and many of our services focus on finding opportunities in new markets.
	UK Trade & Investment's (UKTI) Passport to Export clients are most likely to be new to exporting, although some may have exported in the past or have exported small quantities of goods and services.
	The following figures relate to HR postcodes. We are unable to break this down any further. The figures in brackets are for the entire West Midlands region.
	In 2012/13 UKTI West Midlands supported 54 (1026) enterprises to export overseas. 10 (175) were supported through the Passport to Export programme, 14 (187) through the Gateway to Global Growth programme and 30 (664) through other significant one to one assistance from West Midlands International Trade Advisers.
	In 2011/12 UKTI West Midlands supported 39 (884) enterprises to export overseas. Seven (132) were supported through the Passport to Export programme, Four (149) through the Gateway to Global Growth programme and 28 (603) through other significant one to one assistance from West Midlands International Trade Advisers.

UK Trade and Investment: Herefordshire

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much additional export volume was generated for businesses in NorthHerefordshire as a direct result of the work of UK Trade and Investment in the last (a) 12 months and (b) two years.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) has recently started to measure trade growth value (TGV) to record cases where an enterprise has progressed overseas business opportunities to the point of successfully winning contracts. During financial year 2013-14 West Midlands small and medium-sized enterprises completed TGV forms totalling £8.19 million from 25 companies; however none of these were in North Herefordshire.
	There has been a significant increase in exports in the West Midlands in the last 18 months. Exports reached over £6.5 billion between 1 April 2013 and 30 June 2013, according to statistics published on 5 September 2013 by HM Revenue and Customs. Compared to the previous quarter, exports from the West Midlands increased by 6.5%, the highest growth of all English regions. Compared with the same quarter in 2012, the growth was 18%—equating to more than £1 billion more exports from the region and to date in 2013/14 has supported 182 with the aim of supporting 350 by the end of the year.

UK Trade and Investment: Herefordshire

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many new jobs were generated in north Herefordshire as a direct result of the work of UK Trade and Investment in the last (a) 12 months and (b) two years.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) uses its’ performance and impact monitoring survey (PIMS) to measure the impact and effectiveness of its support. The results published in the 2012-13 UKTI annual report and accounts show that our trade services helped create 38,080 jobs and safeguard 83,780 jobs, making a total of 121,860 jobs. The 2011-12 annual report and accounts show that UKTI helped to create 36,400 jobs and safeguard 68,500 jobs, making a total of 104,900 jobs, through our trade services. These figures are not broken down regionally or by constituency.
	The latest inward investment results show that in 2012-13, UKTI helped land 1,559 projects, which brought with them 59,153 jobs. In 2011-12, UKTI helped land 1,406 projects, which brought with them 52,741 jobs.
	The number of new jobs UKT1 Investment Group and its private sector partners attracted for north Herefordshire is not available. At the Marches local enterprise partnership (LEP) level, which includes the unitary council areas of Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin, inward investment was as follows:
	2012-13: three projects, which brought with them 154 jobs;
	2011-12: three projects, which brought with them 89 jobs.
	The UKTI annual report and accounts 2012-13 is available at:
	http://www.ukti.gov.uk/uktihome/item/534440.html
	The UKTI annual report and accounts 2011-12 is available at:
	http://www.ukti.gov.uk/uktihome/item/331780.html

UK Trade and Investment: Shropshire

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how often UK Trade and Investment West Midlands has contacted local hon. Members in Shropshire to help it secure inward investment into Shropshire in 2013 to date.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is not aware of any cases of Members of Parliament in Shropshire constituencies being contacted in order to help secure inward investment into Shropshire.

UK Trade and Investment: Shropshire

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which (a) foreign companies, (b) investors, (c) sovereign wealth funds and (d) governments UK Trade and Investment worked with to secure inward investment into Shropshire in (i) 2011 and (ii) 2012.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) and its partners work with a very wide range of foreign-based companies, investors, sovereign wealth funds and governments to attract inward investment into the UK. At any one time, UKTI and its partners may be engaged in discussions with several tens of thousands of organisations, a number of which will have regard to potential investment in Shropshire.
	UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) does not hold data on investment wins for Shropshire county. However, at The Marches Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) level, which includes the unitary council areas of Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin, inward investment was:
	2012-13: Three projects, creating or safeguarding 154 jobs;
	2011-12: Three projects, creating or safeguarding 89 jobs.
	UKTI and its partners undertook those discussions with investors on the basis of commercial confidentiality.

UK Trade and Investment: Shropshire

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which (a) foreign companies, (b) investors, (c) sovereign wealth funds and (d) governments UK Trade and Investment West Midlands and its private sector partners are working with to secure inward investment into Shropshire.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) and its partners work with a very wide range of foreign-based companies, investors, sovereign wealth funds and governments to attract inward investment into the UK. This may include investment into Shropshire. These potential investors engage with UKTI on the basis of commercial confidentiality.

UK Trade and Investment: Shropshire

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether UK Trade and Investment West Midlands and its private sector partners maintain a list of the top 10 inward investment opportunities in Shropshire.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) does not maintain a list of the top 10 investment opportunities in Shropshire.

UK Trade and Investment: West Midlands

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many new overseas contracts were won by businesses in the West Midlands as a direct result of the work of UK Trade and Investment West Midlands in the last (a) 12 months and (b) two years.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) has recently started to measure trade growth value. This measure was designed to record cases where an enterprise has progressed in its pursuit of overseas business opportunities to the point of successfully winning contracts. During financial year 2013-14 West Midlands small and medium-sized enterprises completed trade growth value (TGV) forms totalling £8.19 million from 25 companies.
	There are no figures available prior to April 2013, when UKTI started recording TGV data; however there has been a significant increase in exports in the West Midlands in the last 18 months. Exports reached over £6.5 billion between 1 April and 30 June 2013, according to the export statistics published on 5 September 2013 by HM Revenue and Customs. Compared to the previous quarter, exports from the West Midlands increased by 6.5%, the highest growth of all English regions. Compared with the same quarter in 2012, the growth is 18%—equating to more than £1 billion more exports from the region.
	The assistance provided to exporters by the UKTI team also involves help at earlier stages in this export development process. In the West Midlands in 2012/13 UKTI West Midlands supported 180 companies through our flagship Passport to Export programme and in 2013/14 to date has supported a further 182, with the aim of supporting 350 by the end of the year.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Females

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what recent progress she has made on fairer representation for women in public life; and if she will make a statement.

Helen Grant: The 2010 general election had a record number of women candidates and there are now more female parliamentarians than at any other time. 37% of new public appointments made by Whitehall Departments in 2012-13 were women and this Government’s aspiration is that 50% of new public appointees should be women by the end of this Parliament. There has also been progress in the private sector where 18.7% of FTSE 100 directors are women, up from 12.5% when Lord Davies reported in February 2011. However, there is more to do to ensure our institutions are fully reflective of the communities they serve. Government, political parties, Parliament, and the private and voluntary sectors each have a role to play in creating and supporting opportunities for women to progress in public life.

Legal Profession: Bullying

Matthew Offord: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what assessment she has made of the extent of gender-specific bullying in the legal profession.

Helen Grant: We have made no such assessment. Government recently convened a roundtable discussion with women in the legal profession to discuss the barriers they face in progressing to senior roles and the potential ways of overcoming these barriers; however, this discussion did not touch on gender-specific bullying. Separately I attended and spoke at an event earlier this year with the Law Society to promote gender equality in the legal profession including the Government's Think, Act, Report initiative.

Staff

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities pursuant to the answer of 10 September 2013, Official Report, column 671W, on staff, what commitments her Department made under the 2004 Lyons Review on departmental relocations; and whether those commitments were met.

Helen Grant: The Government Equalities Office did not exist in 2004 and therefore did not make any commitments.